ARTICLE: New Virus Spurs Experts to Rethink Definition of Pandemic, By David Brown, Washington Post, May 31, 2009

This reminds me of the way we've down-defined wars (1000 deaths over 12 months, which is only 3 deaths a day!)

I'm watching Ken Burns' "The War" and you see these bomber runs over Germany and we'd lose 800 airmen--just that one mission, that one day.

Now we have pandemics where we lose a dozen people a week--worldwide!

And "quagmire" wars where a really catastrophic day is double-digit deaths--for the entire force.

Not complaining. It's a good thing, but fascinating how we cling to terms despite the qualitative changes.