Sally and Sam

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

April 28,'09 Bambi

I have been busy going to hospital and seeing the doctor. Seems I do not have energy to sit at this machine and do any exploring on the web. I am above ground however, and that is always a good sign.

Three possible swine flu cases in Saskatchewan

REGINA -- Saskatchewan is readying for potential swine flu cases as the world waits to see how the respiratory illness unfolds.
Although there were no confirmed cases in the province as of Monday evening, politicians and health officials reassured the public that plans are in place to handle an outbreak should one develop.
"We expect that we'll have a lot of people under investigation that we'll have to do lab tests on. We don't know how many will be positive but it's probable that we will, at some stage, get a case," Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer Dr. Moira McKinnon told reporters gathered at the T.C. Douglas building in Regina, where the health ministry has set up an "operations centre" to monitor the evolving swine flu situation.
The province is currently awaiting results of lab tests for three people in the Cypress, Five Hills and Prince Albert Parkland health regions who showed symptoms of possible swine flu, while another five people have tested negative, said McKinnon. The individuals waiting for results of lab tests, which must be confirmed in Winnipeg, are all resting at home, McKinnon said.
She emphasized that the six cases of swine flu confirmed in B.C. and Nova Scotia have all been "mild," as have the cases in the U.S., unlike in Mexico where it is suspected in more than 100 deaths.
The province is preparing "as if this is a pandemic," but the situation might instead fizzle out, she said.
Ten people are staffing the central operations centre, set up Friday, to gather infection control information, assess how the stockpile of anti-virals could be mobilized if needed, provide information to travellers and keep up-to-date on the latest developments. Individual health regions are also setting up their own operations centres.
"I would just reassure people that the ministry is on top of it, we are monitoring it and let's certainly hope that we don't have any confirmed cases but in the event that we do I think that the Ministry of Health and the regions are positioned very well," said Health Minister Don McMorris.
An information sheet is being given to visitors at airports, alerting them to "clusters of severe respiratory illness" in Mexico being tracked by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
McKinnon said potential swine flu cases involve people who develop influenza-like illness — with symptoms such as fever and cough — within 10 days of returning from Mexico and those who get sick after being in contact with others from Mexico who are unwell.
The province is asking people to see their family physicians or call the HealthLine at 1-877-800-0002 if they have concerns. Only nine people called the line with influenza related inquiries on Sunday, McKinnon said.
People are encouraged to wash their hands frequently with soap and water, or use alcohol-based hand gel, as a prevention tool. McKinnon said people should also cough or sneeze in the crook of their elbow, rather than their hands, to prevent the spread of influenza.
Saskatchewan has been preparing for a "moderate pandemic" for a few years, so if that such an event were to occur plans would be ready, she said. There is also a stockpile of anti-virals that would be enough to treat the people that estimates suggest could fall ill in that scenario, she said.
Regina, too, has been involved in planning for the possibility a pandemic might one day occur, including how the services important to the public would continue to be provided, said Grant Nicurity, deputy of public safety, planning and prevention for the City of Regina's Fire and Protective Services.
"If this or any other influenza outbreak were to escalate what we really have to do is switch into more of a business continuity mode," he said, adding the city would be directed by health authorities as action was warranted.
But he also urged people not to panic as media attention worldwide centres on the swine flu.
"The sky is not falling yet," he said.
"What we're really doing right now is due diligence."
Also watching the swine flu developments is the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), which has been doing research and developing swine flu vaccinations for pigs, as well as work related to humans, said director Andy Potter.
"It's very early days," said Potter, who noted the mortality rate has not been that high. "We'll have to wait and see but everything I've seen, the cases in Canada, the cases in the U.S., would suggest that maybe we don't have too worry too much."http://www.thestarphoenix.com/News/Three+possible+swine+cases+Saskatchewan/1541730/story.html

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Conficker Worm Finally Begins Attacking PCs

"BOSTON — A malicious software program known as Conficker that many feared would wreak havoc on April 1 is slowly being activated, weeks after being dismissed as a false alarm, security experts said." http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,517817,00.html

The hilarity of hyphenation

1.http://communities.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/blogs/weddeddiss/archive/2007/08/02/the-hilarity-of-hyphenation.aspx 2.More evidence dispelling hyphenation as a good idea:http://communities.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/blogs/weddeddiss/archive/2009/04/03/more-evidence-dispelling-hyphenation-as-a-good-idea.aspx

100 Websites You Should Know and Use

http://blog.ted.com/2007/08/100_websites_yo.php

Rachel Papo:Serial No. 3817131

"Rachel Papo is an Israeli who was born in 1970 in Columbus, Ohio but was raised in Israel. She began photographing as a teenager and attended a renowned fine-arts high-school in Haifa, Israel. At age eighteen she served in the Israeli Air Force as a photographer. These two intensive years of service inspired her current photographic project titled after her own number during service -- Serial No. 3817131.

She earned a BFA in Fine Arts from Ohio State University in Columbus (1991-96), and an MFA in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City (2002-05).

She began photographing Israeli female soldiers in the summer of 2004 as part of her masters thesis project. She continues to photograph in both Israel and New York, pursuing fine art photography and accepting commissioned projects. Her photographs are included in several public and private collections. She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York." http://www.serialno3817131.com/about.html

HD Lightning storm on a motorcycle/Sask. Canada/VRIDETV.com

Friday, April 24, 2009

Vibrasphere - Manzanilla

Man With His Bear Brutus-25 pictures

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/content/expedition-grizzly-3909/brutus-and-me/album-01.html

"a photographic and videographic record of my experiences with the homeless "Chuck Ferris MD

http://homelessimages.com/index.html

Can Cherries Relieve The Pain Of Osteoarthritis?

ScienceDaily (Mar. 21, 2009) — For the estimated 27 million Americans who suffer from osteoarthritis, pain relief may come with a cherry on top. According to researchers with the Baylor Research Institute, tart cherries, in pill form, may be a promising pain-reliever for this common and debilitating form of arthritis.
See also:
Health & Medicine
Arthritis
Joint Pain
Pain Control
Plants & Animals
Evolutionary Biology
Biology
Biotechnology
Reference
COX-2 inhibitor
Osteoarthritis
Arthritis
Cherry
More than half of the patients enrolled in a 2007 pilot study at the Baylor Research Institute experienced a significant improvement in pain and function after taking the cherry pills for eight weeks. Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, is considered degenerative and typically affects the hands, feet, spine, and large weight-bearing joints, such as the hips and knees. Patients with osteoarthritis of the knees were enrolled in this pilot study to assess potential efficacy of the tart cherry pills.
“The current treatment of osteoarthritis is largely focused on controlling pain through use of over-the-counter acetaminophen or prescription pain medications as well as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,” explains John J. Cush, M.D., rheumatologist and principal investigator of the study. “These conventional medications are widely used, but have not been shown to alter the natural history of the disease. In some cases, overuse may contribute to significant gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, hematologic, renal and liver toxicity.”
Made from Montmorency tart cherries, this preparation is made up of ground whole cherries and given as a soft gelatin capsule (marketed under the brand name CherryFlex®).
“This specific type of tart cherry is one of the best studied natural products and anecdotally has been claimed to have a salutary effect on osteoarthritis and other types of arthritis as well,” adds Dr. Cush.
Baylor Research Institute together with the Arthritis Care & Research Institute is currently enrolling patients in a second study, which will test cherry pills versus placebo in an eight week double blind study.
Adapted from materials provided by Baylor Health Care System. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090319164327.htm

Robert Johnson-I Believe I'll Dust My Broom

I'm gointa get up in the mornin
I believe I'll dust my broom
I'm gointa get up in the mornin
I believe I'll dust my broom
Girlfriend the black man you've been lovin
girlfriend can get my room

I'm gonna write a letter
telephone everytown I know
I'm gonna write a letter
telephone every town I know
If I can't find her in West Helena
she must be in East Monroe I know

I don't want no woman
wants every downtown man she meets
I don't want no woman
wants every downtown man she meets
She's a no good dooney
they shouldn't allow her on the street

I believe, I believe I'll go back home
I believe, I believe I'll go back home
You can mistreat me here babe,
but you can't when I'm back home

And I'm gettin up in the mornin
I believe I'll dust my broom
I'm gettin up in the mornin
I believe I'll dust my broom
Girlfriend the black man you been lovin
girlfriend can get my room

I'm gonna call up Chiney
see is my good girl over there
I'm gonna call up China
see is my good girl over there
I can't find her on Phillipine's island
she must be in Ethiopia somewhere

Happy Hippo

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/736952/domesticated_hippopotamus/