Ticks - One of the Most Deadly Animals in the UK.

TINY TERRORS

When it comes to identifying the UK's deadliest, it is the tiny invertebrates that may lay most claim to the title.

One of the UK's top man-killers can only be seen with a microscope.

Around 20% of the UK's population is allergic to the droppings of dust mites, according to the National Health Service, triggering conditions such as asthma.

For the 90% of UK asthma sufferers that identify dust mites as a trigger for their attacks, these microscopic creatures are potentially a big problem.

The charity Asthma UK reports 1,204 deaths from asthma in the UK in 2008, though it is difficult to directly attribute these to dust mites because attacks can be triggered by a number of irritants.

Tick safety Visit the BADA-UK for tips on avoiding ticks and how to remove them if you are bitten

Another tiny harbinger of death is the tick.

Ticks feed on the blood of mammals, birds and even reptiles and can spread diseases between their hosts.

For humans, one of the most serious is Lyme disease.

There were 1472 cases of Lyme disease last year in the UK with up to a further 2000 thought to go unnoticed, due to difficulties diagnosing the disease.

Left untreated, Lyme disease can cause permanent disability. In recent years two suicides have been associated with the disease."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_9167000/9167371.stm

Chronic Lyme...Treatment, or No Treatment?

Information for those with Lyme or who know someone who has it...

"Chronic Lyme Disease: How Often Is It Diagnosed and Treated?

ScienceDaily (Sep. 7, 2010) — The existence of chronic Lyme disease is an issue of sharp debate within the medical community. Some health care workers who call themselves "Lyme literate" insist that chronic Lyme disease is frequently diagnosed and treated by primary care physicians. Others, however, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, state that there is no convincing biological evidence that chronic Lyme disease exists. Many doctors are concerned with the potential dangers associated with the prolonged and intensive use of oral and intravenous antibiotics (the recommended treatment for chronic Lyme disease), such as blood clots and life threatening infections."

A study soon to be published in TheJournal of Pediatrics attempts to determine how often chronic Lyme disease is actually being diagnosed and treated.

Named for a community in Connecticut where it was first diagnosed, Lyme disease is a multi-system infection caused by the bacteria B. burgdoferi. Treatment typically includes a 10-28 day course of oral antibiotics. "Lyme literate" groups, such as the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), define chronic Lyme disease as a debilitating illness caused by a persistent infection of B. burgdoferi; symptoms include fatigue, difficulty concentrating, headaches, and irritability. Treatment requires oral and/or intravenous antibiotic therapy that can last from several months to several years.

Dr. Michael Johnson, now at the Hospital of Saint Raphael in New Haven, and Dr. Henry Feder, of the University of Connecticut Health Center, attempted to determine how frequently Connecticut doctors were diagnosing and treating chronic Lyme disease. Of the 285 primary care physicians who responded to the survey, nearly one-half did not believe that chronic Lyme disease is a legitimate diagnosis, and 48% were undecided. Only 6 physicians -- or 2.1% -- diagnosed and treated patients for chronic Lyme disease. These 6 physicians treated patients for an average of 20 weeks with oral antibiotics; however, because these six physicians did not treat their patients with months to years of oral and/or intravenous antibiotics, they do not fit into the "Lyme literate" category.

Contrary to the assertions of the "Lyme literate" community, Dr. Feder does not believe intravenous antibiotic treatment is common practice. "The 6 physicians in our study who treated patients with chronic Lyme disease do not fit into the 'Lyme literate' group," he explains, "because they treated their patients for an average of 20 weeks -- not months to years -- and it does not appear that intravenous therapy was used." According to Dr. Feder, "Physicians who diagnose patients with chronic Lyme disease, and put these patients in harm's way with months to years of potentially dangerous antibiotics, are outliers." These findings call into question the claims of "Lyme literate" advocacy groups, like ILADS, that chronic Lyme disease is frequently diagnosed and treated by many primary care physicians.

Although the number of physicians diagnosing and treating patients with chronic Lyme disease may be small, their influence seems to be growing. "The 'Lyme literate' network has been pivotal in advocating legislation in multiple states requiring insurance companies to cover the costs of intravenous therapy for presumed chronic Lyme disease," Dr. Feder notes. The debate over chronic Lyme disease is likely to continue as insurance companies and legislative bodies become more involved.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100902073502.htm

Email From Beyond.

Source:  Unknown

A Minnesota couple decided to vacation to Florida during the Winter.  They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they'd spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier.  Because of hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules.  So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday.  His wife would fly down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel.  There was a computer in his room, so he decided to send an e-mail to his wife.  However, he accidentally left out one letter in her e-mail address and without realizing his error, he sent the e-mail. 

Meanwhile.....somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her husband's funeral. He was a minister of many years who was called home to glory following a sudden heart attack. The widow decided to check her e-mail, expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first message, she fainted. 

The widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor and saw the computer screen which read: 

To: My Loving Wife

Subject: I've Arrived

Date: 16 May 2003

I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have computers here now and you are allowed to send e-mails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is not as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is hot down here!

Totally Inappropriate for Any News Site!!!!!

This is an article that was placed on a local news website.  Please click on the link and show them that this is not an article that should be posted anywhere and that these people should not be given this kind of attention for their wacked-out ideas!!!!!!  This is just wrong!

KSL.com - Tell them this is just wrong! 

"Birthornot.com

November 18th, 2010 @ 8:41am

From the website:

The abortion issue has been a controversial topic for decades that reaches to the core of every person in America. Often voters will even base their entire choice on this one topic alone, disregarding everything else the politician has to offer in the vain hope that their "chosen one" will be able to effect change on this issue.

We all like to think that our opinions matter, but so often there is no effective outlet for our beliefs to change lives. While most people have a definite opinion about abortion and take a stance as being either "Pro-Life" or "Pro-choice", very few have an opportunity to do more than voice their concern to their elected representative. The concerns that we voice to those around us don't seem to change the status-quo. Unless you are put into the position of having to make this decision in a setting that actually makes a difference, the debate does not affect anything.

Voting is such an integral part of the American identity. We vote on everything. We vote on things ranging from the best singer on American Idol to who the next leader of the free world will be. Wouldn't it be nice to voice your opinion and have it actually make a difference in the real world? Why not vote on whether to continue or abort an actual pregnancy? Your vote can help a real couple to make a decision on this issue.

We would like to keep you informed on our pregnancy as if it was your own; posting our thoughts and feelings as we struggle to make this decision. We would like you to see what we see and feel what we feel. We invite you take this journey with us as we contemplate our own options and encourage you to utilize this site to vote and voice your opinion in a way that will have a real consequence… in a way that truly matters. Here, your vote will not go unheard."

Missile Launch To Show Our Military Might?

While there is a ton of denial about this actually being a missile, however, if you take a look at the point where there could be an airplane that is making an unusual contrail, there is a flickering that is definitely not that of an aircraft.  Here is the follow-up regarding this event...which screams "really bad cover-up!!!".

Military Says Missile-Like Object Wasn't Missile

But Expert Interviewed by London Newspaper Is Sure It Was; Mystery of California Contrail Continues

By David Martin

(CBS)  More than a day after a CBS camera caught video of anunidentified projectile leaving a condensation trail off the California coast, the situation remains a mystery, with the Defense Department insisting that it was not a missile.

The Pentagon is still not sure what that was in the sky off the coast of California -- except that it was not a missile fired by the U.S. or some other country, reports CBS News Pentagon correspondent David Martin.

The video of what looks for all the world like the contrail of a missile was shot Monday evening by KCBS cameraman Gil Leyvas from a news helicopter over Los Angeles.

"I saw a big plume coming up, rising from looked like beyond the horizon and it continued to grow," Leyvas said.

He zoomed his camera in and stayed on it for about 10 minutes. To him it looked like an incoming missile.

"It was unique. It was moving," he said. "It was growing in the sky."

The Pentagon spends billions of dollars a year making sure it is never surprised by a missile launch - so finding out what the camera saw became a top priority. Both the Navy and the Air Force insisted they had not launched any missiles and the North American Air Defense Command - which is supposed to track incoming missiles - declared it had not been fired by any other military. But nobody could say what it was.

But Doug Richardson, the editor of Jane’s Missiles and Rockets, examined the video for the Times of London and said he was left with little doubt.

"It’s a solid propellant missile," he told the Times. "You can tell from the efflux [smoke]."

Richardson said it could have been a ballistic missile launched from a submarine or an interceptor, the defensive anti-missile weapon used by Navy surface ships. 

The Twitterati had a field day Tuesday, tweeting comments like "Can someone please tell me how our Department of Defense has no idea who launched a missile from California's coast?"; "So nobody in our government or military knows? Scary."; and "If you misplaced a missile off the coast of California, the U.S. government would like to have a few words with you."

The Federal Aviation Administration did not receive any reports of a missile from other pilots in the area or track any unusually fast objects. The Air Defense Command determined the object was not traveling fast enough or have a big enough exhaust plume to be a military missile.

The best guess right now is that it was either an airliner or an amateur rocket, but we may never know for certain. "

International Space Weather Initiative

Here is something that caught my eye.  Not surprising with the solar activity that has been happening recently.  Here yah go...
*********************************************************
The International Space Weather Initiative

Nov. 8, 2010:  Prompted by a recent increase in solar activity, more than a hundred researchers and government officials are converging on Helwan, Egypt, to discuss a matter of global importance: storms from the sun. The “First Workshop of the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI)” meets Nov. 6^ththrough 10^th and is convened by the United Nations, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

"Strong solar storms can knock out power, disable satellites, and scramble GPS," says meeting organizer and ISWI executive director Joe Davila of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.  "This meeting will help us prepare for the next big event."

A key problem organizers hope to solve is a gap--many gaps, actually---in storm coverage around our planet. When a big storm is underway, waves of ionization ripple through Earth’s upper atmosphere, electric currents flow through the topsoil, and the whole planet's magnetic field begins to shake.

"These are global phenomena," says Davila, "so we need to be able to monitor them all around the world."

Industrialized countries tend to have an abundance of monitoring stations.  They can keep track of local magnetism, ground currents, and ionization, and provide the data to researchers.  Developing countries are where the gaps are, particularly at low latitudes around Earth's magnetic equator.

Although space weather is usually associated with Earth's polar regions--think, "Northern Lights"--the equator can be just as interesting. For example, there is a phenomenon in Earth's upper atmosphere called the "equatorial anomaly."  It is, essentially, a fountain of ionization that circles the globe once a day, always keeping its spout toward the sun. During solar storms, the equatorial anomaly can intensify and shape-shift, bending GPS signals in unexpected ways and making normal radio communications impossible.

"International cooperation is essential for keeping track of the equatorial anomaly," he adds.  “No single country can do it alone.”

It's no coincidence that the inaugural meeting of the ISWI is being held in Egypt, an equatorial country.  Of 30 nations sending representatives to the ISWI, more than two-thirds are clustered around the magnetic equator.  This could lead to a revolution in studies of low-latitude space weather.

There is much to do beyond the equator, too. During the meeting, researchers and students will learn how they can set up monitoring stations for cosmic rays, ground currents, magnetic storms, and auroras.  There’s a phenomenon for every latitude and level of expertise.

"We are offering a whole buffet of research opportunities," says Davila.

Researchers who miss the first meeting will get many more chances.  The International Space Weather Initiative is an ongoing program with get-togethers planned on an annual basis at different spots around the world.  The next meeting will be held in Nigeria in November 2011.

No country is too remote, too small, or too poor to participate.  Indeed, notes Davila, "the smallest most out of the way places are often where data are needed most.  Everyone is invited."

Interested? Details and contact information may be found at the ISWI home page: http://iswi-secretariat.org/

Dollar Redesign Project?

This is directly taken from the Huffington Post.  I didn't believe it until I did some research and found it to be legit.  ...

Amazing New Designs For The Dollar Bill (PHOTOS)

First Posted: 09-17-10 04:13 PM   |   Updated: 09-17-10 05:24 PM

What's Your Reaction:

InspiringGreedyTypicalScaryOutrageousAmazingInnovativeInfuriating

Business News

The American dollar is in bad need of a makeover. Thanks to the Dollar ReDe$ign Project, we may now have some options.

Organized by creative strategy consultant Richard Smith, the Dollar ReDe$ign Project is soliciting ideas for the dollar bill of the future. "Our great 'rival', the Euro, looks so spanky in comparison it seems the only clear way to revive this global recession is to rebrand and redesign," the project notes on its website.

Fisher started the project in with the intent of "trying to find a catalyst to restart our economy" he told Fox News. The recent competition is now closed, and voting ends on September 30. "This has touched people's hearts," Fisher said, and "people feel the dollar touches their lives."

The leading vote-getter for this year's competition (pictured below) was submitted by British duo Dowling Duncan, which features a unique vertical design.

Why a vertical format? "When we researched how notes are used we realized people tend to handle and deal with money vertically rather than horizontally," they note on the Dollar ReDe$ign Project's website. "You tend to hold a wallet or purse vertically when searching for notes. The majority of people hand over notes vertically when making purchases. All machines accept notes vertically. Therefore a vertical note makes more sense."

Mark Gartland submitted the entry below, entitled "America Today." The $50 bill features (pictured below) Sacagawea, the native American Indian who acted as Lewis and Clark's interepreter and guide. Noting the "cosmetic drabness" of the current dollar bill, Gartland selected various historical icons from including Benjamin Franklin, Abrham Lincoln and President Obama to represent the "diverse fabric" of the U.S.

Self-taught web designer Sean Flanagan submitted "Moving Forward, Looking Back," (below) which hews to many of "base color, size and orientation" of the classic dollar bill, but offers more than a few pleasant upgrades. Flanagan also utilized only American-designed typefaces and says his design would require at least "three different layers of solid ink," a preemptive strike against counterfitting.

If these money makeovers weren't enough, The Dollar ReDe$ign Project has even circulated a petition to get the U.S. government to seriously consider their ideas. Which of these designs is your favorite?

Please Stop Spending!

Does anyone else find it interesting that, when Obama was campaigning, he constantly said, "Let's be perfectly clear", as if he were going to run a transparent presidency?  

A good government is one "which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread that it has earned. - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) (inaugural address)

Obviously, transparency is not the name-of-the-game for the Obama presidency.  The name of the game is celebrity, being the "I am the President of the United States", royalty family.   How many vacations does the family take?  They are publicized vacations and obviously on the taxpayer.    

Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap, we should soon want bread. - Thomas Jefferson: Autobiography, 1821.

Isn't the presidential family supposed to be the example for the best dress and behavior of the United States of America?  

The greater the number of laws and enactments, the greater the number of thieves and robbers. - Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Also, when Obama was interviewed by Matt Lauer, being asked about the state of the educational system in the United States, Obama said something like, "You can't just throw money at a problem and expect it to be fixed".  I find that to be interesting, coming from the President who has taken the word "debt" to a new level.

For every action there is an equal and opposite government program.-Bob Wells

Tell your representatives that we don't need more spending.  We don't want our children for generations to have to pay for these expenditures!  Please stop spending my money!

Perfection

"When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky." Buddha

Every Man For Himself

Much to my dismay, it is now July of 2010.  I am sure that many of you are with me when I describe time in this way.  Time is flying by and is simply flying so fast that it ultimately sneaks up on you with an updraft that makes your legs flip out from under you, causing you to land straight on your butt. 

As time flies so fast, so it seems people, things, places and current events change in a blink of an eye.  It seems like just yesterday when neighbors were kind to one another, and cities looked after their own citizens.  It seems like I was just reading about law enforcement looking after the wellbeing of citizens in their precinct like they were they were their own family and obeying the letter of the law in their own lives, because they knew it also applied to them. 

I know that I am not possibly alone when I say that it seems like it was just yesterday when neighbors would wave and say “Hi” to one another, even striking up conversations of small talk, should there be a moment.  It also seems like just yesterday when you didn’t have to worry about having to pull off to the side of the road with a flat tire or an empty gas tank because there would be a friendly face offering to help take care of you, genuinely meaning it in the most honest and kind way. 

I remember a time when people meant what they said and didn’t talk in cryptic language so as to mean something completely different than what they were actually saying.  I remember a time when people who were church going individuals actually lived a life that was fairly close to the life they portrayed by attending their church sessions and socials.  There used to be a time when people were proud of saying that they were from the United States of America, not apologizing for their country, not attempting to shade the truth from others, that they are really ashamed of their country and are working from within to tear it down, to shatter the constitution into a jigsaw puzzle of a million pieces.

What has happened that has made neighbors so leery of making eye contact with one another, much less waving and saying “hello”?  People are afraid of intentions.  Will my neighbor be suing me for stepping on their lawn?  Does my neighbor have a meth lab in their basement?  Is my neighbor one of the Most Wanted?  A sad day indeed!

Tell me why law enforcement takes the law into their own hands, doing under-the-table deals with their buddies, doing things that are against the law because they feel superior to those who don’t wear a badge that sets them apart from the ordinary citizen.  Why do they define laws themselves, instead of looking for a judge and/or jury to decipher the law, as is their job?  When did law enforcement decide that their job was a money-making one, in which the individual needs of the population didn’t matter, but the money and/or budget was the bottom-line?    What about the city, county and state governments, not to mention the country?  What drives them and equals success?  It sure isn’t the ordinary citizen who pays their taxes and lives a normal and decent life!  Money is the bottom-line in our culture now.  No matter where you have your profession, greed has seeped into the system and is now a permanent part of societal relations that is growing at a steady clip.  Law enforcement is told by their city councils, mayors, and other city officials that they need to bring in revenue for their city.  This is drilled into them so much that it becomes a job-keeping decision.  Which officials are good at bringing in the revenue?  Those are the ones that win.  When a decision like this affects the citizens in a negative way, the ultimate decision is made exclusively according to the dollar value.  Who is actually there to look after us?  Another sad thing regarding decisions made by governing officials is that, if you attend one of their meetings, decisions are being made without the input of the citizens.  If cities wanted to save money, they should rent out the large spaces that they have that never get used.  “What large spaces?”  You ask.  For one, the huge spaces they have for their council meetings in which citizens are allowed to give input.  It is silly!  You can usually count the number of citizens that attend those meetings on one hand.  This only emboldens the decision makers.  They can make these decisions and no one will argue or give an opposing view for the government groups to discuss, possibly a better alternative to the original decision.

When people speak, can you trust anything they say?  Making plans with anyone, it becomes so confusing when they never follow through, whether because of alternative plans to which you were not privy, or a sense that follow-through is just highly over rated.  Impressions are so important anymore that there is not a thought given before someone “one-ups” another in conversation, or does the same in buying a new car, or other material possession that they cannot afford.  The image of success is material, instead of a feeling of accomplishment.  There is no questioning that this is a main culprit in the crashing of our worldwide economic security! 

Some neighbors are church-going folk and some are less-likely to do so.  However, just because you have a neighbor that attends church once-a-week without missing it, doesn’t mean that their home life or life in general is up-to-par with that image.  Many of these God-fearing people are only so when in their meetings.  When they get home, they kick the dog, beat their spouse, and tell their children that they are no good.  Some of these folks can quote bible scripture in an instant, but know nothing about honoring their own parents, cleaving to their own spouse instead of another’s, or being charitable with their possessions and/or time.  Don’t people feel that they are being hypocritical when they say one thing and then proceed to do another?  Spirituality is much more than image!  When it is actually a way of life, the rewards are fantastic!  It seems that there is a large gray area that seems to apply to this growing group.  This includes the churches that are built upon money making, non-charitable systems.  Where is the sacredness in God?

From immigration reform to hurricane and oil spill clean-up, our country’s officials play the blame game, worrying more about their image and whether-or-not they will be re-elected, or whether a bill will get passed that will include their raise than worrying about the best interest of those they represent.  States are arguing against states regarding a hot-button issue that has been a priority of our nation for decades, referred to as “Immigration Reform”.  Gay rights are trumping those rights of heterosexuals.  Reverse racism is becoming a huge issue, blocking many of our children from the experience of attending a University or of being hired by an employer.  Natural catastrophes happen and governments worry more about their photo-ops than they do about those citizens that are suffering due to events beyond their control. 

Man-assisting-man is no longer the mantra.  Instead, we live in a world where the beautiful is covered up by the crisis of the day, where celebrity news covers front page instead of humanitarian need.  We live in a world where media defines our thoughts and actions, where our thoughts are not our own but, instead are drown out by video games and satellite TV.  Vitamin D is a deficiency epidemic because we no longer leave our homes to take a walk, or to sit on a neighbor’s porch for a chat.  We are plugged in, slouching next to on the worn sofa with our latest, disposable cell phone, enjoying a conversation through texting, opening our mouths only for a bite of our newest snack food.

Look outside your window.  Do the clouds make fun shapes?  Is the wind just right to fly a kite or play a game of hoops with your kids?  Is it a pleasant temperature for you to take a walk with your spouse, saying “Hello” to your neighbors along the way?  Is there an agenda that can be emailed to you by your government officials that tells you the details of the agenda for upcoming meetings so that you can attend for 15 minutes to help by giving your input?  Do you even know your neighbor? 

It is time to open our eyes to the beauty that is in this world, as well as what we can contribute to create a better place for ourselves and future generations.  What do you feel about the things that are currently changing?  Do you believe that your neighborhood, law enforcement officials and government officials are creating an every-man-for-himself environment, or do you have hope that things are good and that we can make a difference through even little changes?  Are you proud of the country in which you live, or do you feel like apologizing about what your government officials say and/or do?