Forum - View topic

Anime News Nina! - 2011-09-14

I'm also surprised no one's mentioned the biggest way to combat con sickness: WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN (or use hand sanitizer) and NEVER TOUCH YOUR FACE, MOUTH, OR NOSE with unclean hands. Unless someone is hacking up death right next to you, the greatest route towards infection is via bringing your infected hands towards your face or your food when you eat. At a con this is a huge nightmare with public doors and things held communally like game controllers and the like.

People think I'm strange because I go to PAX with boxes of disposable, nitrile exam gloves, but I use them (I also wash my hands), and I don't get sick.

(Author's Note: I have nitrile exam gloves because I'm going to Dental School, not because I'm some nutball serial killer.)

Also, drinking plenty of water, eating well, and getting enough sleep will insure you don't get some Con super bug that takes for ever to get rid of, or laughs in the face of most antibiotics (Like MRSA, but that's pretty rare outside of hospitals or hospital workers).

CareyGrant wrote:

What's worse than that, especially in the gamer/anime/manga populations, are the abuse of energy drinks, often which I see people drink like water...

Agreed... as convention staff, I've heard various horror stories about energy drink abuse among attendees. Like someone who got sick at a ramen-eating contest because they'd been keeping their stomach empty (energy drinks aside) to prepare, or someone who got sick and freaked out about the water tanks at the rave being spiked... because they'd been downing nothing but energy drinks and barely sleeping. People think they're a perfect substitute for food, water, and sleep, but they certainly aren't. I never even touch energy drinks myself, aside from good ol' Mountain Dew and other caffeinated sodas.

And yes, frequent handwashing and sanitizer use (especially after time in the gaming room) is a good way to fight con plague. I also try to avoid touching people and bathroom doors completely/

Who's advocating? Writers and artists do not necessarily advocate everything their characters do, and in this case Kevin is likely being set up for mild disaster.

I'm also surprised no one's mentioned the biggest way to combat con sickness: WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN (or use hand sanitizer)

DavidShallcross wrote:

Who's advocating? Writers and artists do not necessarily advocate everything their characters do, and in this case Kevin is likely being set up for mild disaster.

Yes, you are correct. Writers/artists do not necessarily advocate the actions of their characters. However, they ARE responsible for them. They are responsible for the portrayal of the characters and the messages their readers walk away with.

In this case, yes, it seems Kevin is being set up for disaster, but (and this is guesswork, we'll see how it goes) it seems far more likely that the disaster will be the result of his unsafe use of energy drinks and his personal decline rather than the serious long-term effects unnecessary antibiotic use has on other people. And that's the issue.

bellicosebreakfast wrote:

DavidShallcross wrote: Who's advocating? Writers and artists do not necessarily advocate everything their characters do, and in this case Kevin is likely being set up for mild disaster. Yes, you are correct. Writers/artists do not necessarily advocate the actions of their characters. However, they ARE responsible for them. They are responsible for the portrayal of the characters and the messages their readers walk away with. In this case, yes, it seems Kevin is being set up for disaster, but (and this is guesswork, we'll see how it goes) it seems far more likely that the disaster will be the result of his unsafe use of energy drinks and his personal decline rather than the serious long-term effects unnecessary antibiotic use has on other people. And that's the issue.

It's just a comic strip, good lord.

CareyGrant wrote:

I'm also surprised no one's mentioned the biggest way to combat con sickness: WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN (or use hand sanitizer)

Alcohol hand sanitizers aren't reliable against one of the nastier forms of con crud: noroviruses. Wash your hands with soap and water before every meal. That plus Passovoy's Rule (for every 24 hours you're at a con, get a minimum of 5 hours' sleep, 2 square meals, and one bath or shower) and giving any obvious zombie plague victims a wide berth will generally keep you healthy.

Other than that, what he said.

What does the Japanese on Kevin's shirt translate to in English?