NMRA National Convention in Toronto -- good idea?

[dknelson]

This year's national convention (and train show) is in Toronto -- ordinarily one of the really great destinations. But this year there is this SARS epidemic in Toronto, and the combination of Tornonto, bus trips, airports, and train manufacturers who have come from their suppliers in Hong Kong and China -- well I would think twice. Your thoughts?

Dave Nelson

[Anonymous]

Hello Dave I live in Toronto,and have not seen people dying in the streets. P.C.

[Anonymous]

It would seem to me the convention should be held closer to the geographic center of the membership. I would expect that to be somewhere East of the Mississippi and south of Ohio. If not, why not have it in New Zealand?

[rogerhensley]

The 2005 Convention will be in Cincinnati, Ohio. Is that close enough for you. :-)

The NMRA National Conventions are moved around the Country (and world) from East to West and depends upon a group willing to work with the convention committee to host the convention and National Train Show. Except for 2008 amd 2009, the conventions are set though 2010. You can see where at: http://www.nmra.org/convention/

Roger

Roger Hensley - [e-mail]
== http://www.nmra.org/beginner/ ==
== NMRA Beginner Pages ==

[nfmisso]

Hi all;

The company I work for will no longer allow international travel without Executive VP approval, even though we have manufacturing sites around the world. Canada falls into this list too. If a person has gone to one of the "SARS areas" they are not allowed back at work for two weeks, and only then with a doctor's note. Business or personal travel - it doesn't matter.

From a medical perspective, most of us would probably survive SARS with nursing and over the counter sympton relievers. From my perspective, the real issue is who eles might I infect if I got it? For example, I have a supplier who comes to visit every other month from LA. He has two small childern, one just a few months old. I have told him to stay home, keep his family healthy - it is not worth the risk.

Bottom line, if you caught SARS, would you be in a position to infect others who could not survive the disease? Or those who might infect others that would not survive.

If you have small children, or grand childern, or come in contact with small children, don't fly until the CDC has a better handle on this.

And that is my opinion.
Nigel

[Anonymous]

Can we then assume that the CDC in Atlanta is going 'get a handle' on this problem for the world ? This is good. The WHO will be no doubt be especially glad.

Will anyone have to fly in to or out of Atlanta from a foreign country ?

Although there are types of precaution,there is no security against many types of disease, except mass inoculation. SARS, or this strain of it, may well prove to be one of these.We'll hope for a speedy solution,but meanwhile it is far from an epidemic situation.

enjoy your weekend....Mike

[dknelson]

So today's paper says the WHO has put Toronto on its do not travel list
The numbers also suggest it is going to get worse in Toronto before it gets better.
I assume the NMRA is watching developments very carefully. Maybe those of us in Milwaukee tend towards a bleak view of the issue since, thus far, our 1950 National NMRA convention was the most deadly ever -- I think ten deaths, one of them a young Kalmbach staff member
Dave Nelson

[BRAKIE]

Dave,If the good Lords willing and the creeks don't raise I am heading to the convention..I am to old of a dog to worry about everything that comes along,first Herpes,then HIV plus many other diseases one can get.I feel the risk here is just as great there if the truth be known..

If one let every little thing scare them then it would be best if they would not leave their house.I been shot at,stepped on a booby trap-failed to go off,been in 2 major car wrecks and walk away unhurt and lived through a tornado..I am also a storm spotter and tornado chaser..SARS? Naw I am not worried.The good Lord will send the angel of death to get me in his own time.The way I see it he has took care of me for years so why worry? What will be will be and one can not change that and life is full of risks..Enjoy life while you can.

[Anonymous]

Good for you Larry. I live about 3 hrs North of Toronto and I am not a NMRA member. I go to one show a year and I have already gone to it. I don't want to go to this summers NMRA because of the crowds. The more people the higher the prices. I will keep watching and if no-one wants to come to Toronto then I may just have to pack the wife up and have a dirty weekend in the Big Smoke- Toronto.
see ya, Frank

[Anonymous]

Well put Frank...I live in Meaford, 2 hours NW of Toronto, and have no hesitation in going to the big smoke.
I'm not at risk of getting the herpes and HIV Brakie is mentioning, but if I was young, well, maybe....???
Oh yeah,...what's a dirty weekend ?....going to Hamilton ?
regards / Mike

[Anonymous]

Dave, WHO did do a shocking and probably alarmist advisory, but it's notable that CDC in Atlanta doesn't agree...they urge caution, but it's essentially caution in avoiding locations like hospitals where the SARS condition exists.

I can understand anyone being concerned enough to stay away, but there are no new cases in quite some time, in Toronto.
regards / Mike
I have just re-read the 1950 MR issue with the account of the tragic interurban fantrip accident.
Terrible thing it was.

[BRAKIE]

Mike Not to long ago folks was afraid of getting herpes from eating in a restaurant,then worried about catching HIV,then rocky mountain spotted fever,then so on and etc.Now the panic is SARS.Will this type of needless worry and panic ever stop?

In the 55 years I been on this earth there has always been a new germ or something to kill you or make you sick.

[Anonymous]

thanks for the input Mike. I live in Owen Sound and often wondered about your username. I am going to Meaford today to visit my Mom. I do this most every week as she can't get out much. I would love to touch base with you sometime. my phone number is 376-6926. hope to here from you Frank

[Anonymous]

I can't believe so many people are worrying about this. I live in Collingwood, which is just down the road from Meaford and Owen Sound. We are a busy tourist area for Toronto and thus far ...NOTHING! I have absolutely no hesitation in heading to T.O. for any reason. If it isn't SARS, it'll be something else.
regards, Andrew

[Anonymous]

There is a murder every 28 minutes in the USA. So in a 24 hour period, more thna 48 deaths will occur - in 24 HOURS. Since the out break of SARS in Canada, the total deaths is around 24, over the past month or so, with the stastics declining radically. Also Toronto has been taken off the WHO list, about a week ago or more.

So if you want to live longer, go to Toronto, the murder rate is Canada is phenomimally lower on a percentage basis and SARS is becoming a non-story.

I live in Vancouver, BC where the Asian population is much higher with many coming and going every day, and I don't live in fear of SARS getting.. cough... gluck... ohhhhhhhhhhhhh....kirplunk..

[cp1057]

Hi Dave,

Ever since I saw that Toronto was the host city of the 2003 NMRA convention, I have been counting the days.

I live in a small town about an hour out of T.O. (that's how we refer to Toronto around here) and I am very pleased that this convention is coming to a venue close to me. Being on a limited budget and with a wife and two young children to support, long-distance travel is beyond my means.

Although they have been criticized for being slow off the mark in dealing with SARS I believe health officials in the area have done a good job of containing the disease and it is on the decline. By July we should have absolutely nothing to fear.

So please come and enjoy!

Charles

[Anonymous]

I would go providing no "French" company will be making money on attendances. -

[BentnoseWillie]

>I would go providing no "French" company will be
>making money on attendances. -

Trains, not politics.

[Anonymous]

That's rather paranoid, and racist as well. I seriously doubt that NMRA attendance fees are secretly routed to foreign governments that have personally offended you.
Stay in Boston,...I'll courier you a mad cow hamburger to chew on, between your Mensa meetings.

[Pruitt]

Hmmmm....

I thought the rules of this board prohibit personal attacks. And make no mistake - calling someone racist is certainly a personal attack.

Besides which, it's unsupported by what the person said. The French are a nationality, not a racial group. Someone who is anti-French MAY be bigoted, but it does not indicate racism.

"Paranoid" also seems unsupported. How does a desire to ensure that one's money does not support a certain group, organization or what-have-you translate to paranoia? If I don't want to support the Republican Party, does that make me paranoid? Or just selective?

The person whom you attacked certainly has reasons for his/her opinion, an we can all probably guess with reasonable accuracy what they are. Whether we agree with those opinions, or vehemently disagree with them, attacking the person for those opinions is counter-productive to the purpose of this forum in general, and to the specific topic at hand (in my opinion).

OOPS! I've expressed my opinion. INCOMING!

MAB

[nfmisso]

My company just posted this to all employees, Tuesday 27May2003.


"Due to the new outbreak of SARS in Toronto, Canada reported over recent days, (25 suspected and eight probable new SARS cases, along with two deaths), we are reinstating Toronto as a ....company name..... SARS Affected Area in order to protect our employees' well-being. This change is effective immediately.

As of May 27, ....company name.....'s SARS affected areas are: Toronto, Canada; Singapore; mainland China; Hong Kong; and, Taiwan. Any travel to, from or through any of these affected areas on the part of employees will trigger employee restriction from the workplace; any visitors who have traveled to, from or through any of these affected areas within the 10 days prior will be denied entry to ....company name..... facilities. "

[Anonymous]

MAB : If the NMRA convention were being held in France, the comment about the French would have been bigoted...because it's being held in Canada, the comment inferred that there's a problem because Canada also has a founding and existing French-Canadian population..that's not a "nationalism" issue, that's concern with a race (ie: French people anywhere )....The world did not begin in 1492 or 1776...both the ancient and also the medieval cultures of Europe were considered races, the Angles, Saxons, Celts, Goths, AND...the Gauls from whom the French descended.
As to my comment on paranoia, suggesting that the NMRA admissions might get confiscated by Canadians and sent to the French, probably isn't paranoid at all....I'll bet that nearly everyone who has a frig' and couch on their front porch, (and can play duelling banjos with their eyes crossed ) all think that'as EXACTLY what will happen to the NMRA admissions from the convention. Some kind of Canadian-French conspiracy...right ?
I happen to support the US position on Iraq, but I do not live in a vacuum, and I neither hate nor fear those who do not always agree with me. The post to which I responded, WAS a snide attack on Canadians ( as well as the French), and I consider that personal, and don't need any lectures from you on the subject.
Mike

[Anonymous]

I hope your company also has a strategy in place to retroactively prevent anyone from the Toronto area from traveling anywhere in the world that one of your employees might also be...there are over 3 million people in the greater Toronto area, and thousands upon thousands of them are in the United States every single day, on business and on pleasure....many of those people probably had at least second, third, or fourth hand contact with a health-care professional who MAY have had exposure to someone with symptoms that MAY have indicated SARS. Some of those people will have already, no doubt, coughed or sneezed in airplanes, restaurants, offices, what have you....I don't blame anyone for taking precautions, but there's seldom anything approaching real security from any communicable disease, especially a new one.The main protection you have is the control and quarantine measures that already took place up here in the past several weeks. Hopefully that continuing program will contain the situation.
Mike

[Pruitt]

Rather what I expected in reply, although certainly a lot milder in tone.

So I guess if you marry someone of different national descent than you, say your spouse's ancestors are Belgian and your are Irish, for example, you are in an inter-racial marriage? Interesting.....

Or does a person suddenly become of a different "race" when they mmigrate to a different country? If a Pole moves to Canada, does he cease being a member of the Polish "race," and now become a member of the Canadian "race?" Or does that happen when he gains citizenship? Or does it only happen to his descendants born in the new country?

You have a most interesting concept of race (that's not a shot of any sort).

[Anonymous]

Belgian, Polish, and Irish are nationalities.In fact these 3 and others are 'newer' than the USA, in terms of nationhood. They are not among the founding or early cultures of Europe, as were Normans, Goths, Celts or Gauls.The Gallic descendants are French, as are part of the Normans, and some others.
If I hadn't seen reference to 'the Gallic race'in history readings, I would not use it.
You may have a good point about my probable incorrect usage of 'race', instead of 'nationality' ...however, how do you explain the curious statistical tendency to treat "Latins" as a race, when the majority of Latins are really Spanish or Portuguese caucasians, who settled in new worlds elsewhere ????

I was rather expecting another rebuttal on 'paranoia' also, so this debate shortens daily .
Best regards / Mike [ of Scottish, English & Polish descent].

[CP5415]

I live near Toronto. 15 minutes away. I was born & raised in Toronto. My wife commutes to Toronto everyday. I haven't, nor has anyone I know,or my wife knows, contracted SARS. Sure I was worried about it. I'm not now.
The Rolling Stones arn't. They playing a concert in front of 500,000 people at the end
of July.

Gordon