Davos debrief: India, Bono and bird flu

... And if that weren’t sobering enough, experts on pandemics predicted that, with near certainty, a particularly virulent avian-flu-like global pandemic will wipe out a quarter of us within a few months sometime over the next few decades. Experts’ advice: keep a supply of facemasks, even cheap ones. The facemask itself does little to protect you. But it does remind you not to touch your face without washing your hands during a pandemic, which is the best way to protect yourself. Also, by the way, for those of us that live in big cities at risk of dirty bombs and the like, you should stockpile at least seven gallons of water person in your household.