Needless to say, this:

Some background on Annie: She’s obsessed by dying in a way connected to historical events — death by earthquake, death by al Queda, death by bird flu. Her exact quote, uttered two minutes ago: “I want to die of the bird flu. But I want people to call it the avian flu.”

reminds me of that cherished Beatles chestnut “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flu).”