Yes, people of the world, chronic myofascial pain is real. And it really fricken hurts!
Myofascial Pain — a Neuromuscular Disease
News in the World of Myofascial Pain
Life has been tough for those of us with myofascial pain syndrome. We have too often been met with doctors who “don’t believe in” CMP. We have been hampered by the lack of a scientifically credible and understandable cause for this condition and an officially recognized set of diagnostic criteria. This resulted in a lack of training of physicians and therapists. The insurance companies and the Social Security Administration made our lives even more difficult. This is about to change.
We now have facts that cannot be disputed. At last we have proof that myofascial pain caused by trigger points is a true disease. We know what creates a trigger point, what it is, and many of the ways it can cause us pain and other symptoms. We know what causes those taut bands that constrict our muscles, and we know why our muscles become so tight that they hurt.
A myofascial trigger point is a localized area starving for oxygen. It creates an increased local energy demand. This local energy crisis releases neuroreactive biochemicals which sensitize nearby nerves. The sensitized nerves initiate the motor, sensory, and autonomic effects of myofascial trigger points by acting on the central nervous system. Muscles with trigger points are muscles in a constant state of energy crisis.
Myofascial trigger points can be identified and documented electrophysiologically by characteristic spontaneous electrical activity (SEA). They may also be identified histologically (which means that the structure of the cells have changed) by contraction knots — the lumps and bumps we know only too well. Both of these phenomenon seem to result from excessive release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) from the nerve terminal of the motor endplate (the complex end formation of the nerve).
We now have objective confirmation of electromyographic imaging of a myofascial trigger point. There is also ultrasound imaging of local twitch responses of trigger points, and biopsies of myofascial trigger points that show contraction knots and giant rounded muscle fibers. To quote from this article, "The endplate dysfunction characteristic of MTrPs involves both the nerve terminal and the postjunctional muscle fiber. This relationship identifies MTrPs as a neuromuscular disease." Simons DG. 1999. Diagnostic criteria of myofascial pain caused by trigger points. J Musculoskeletal Pain 7(1-2):111-120.
A MTrP is always found in a taut band which is histologically related to contraction knots caused by excessive release of ACh in an abnormal endplate. The pathogenesis of myofascial trigger points appears to involve serious disturbance of the nerve ending and contractile mechanism at multiple dysfunctional endplates. Doctor Hong has even formed a theory concerning fibromyalgia tender points. Hong, C-Z. 1999. Current research on myofascial trigger points-pathophysiological studies. J Musculoskeletal Pain 7(1-2):121-129.
Please ask your librarian to obtain these articles through Interlibrary loan, and give them to your doctor. Don’t forget to keep copies for yourselves.
For more information on this issue of the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain go to Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain from Haworth Medical Press.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Very touching video from a 15 yr old girl
http://www.youtube.com/v/ervaMPt4Ha0&autoplay=1
So sad, made me tear up.
Support our troops!
So sad, made me tear up.
Support our troops!
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Do your part to help stop global warming!
This is taken from the World Wildlife Fund website. These are some great tips!
Stopping Global Warming
As pollution increases, so does the world's average temperature. Global warming forces rapid changes in human and animal habitats. Life becomes more difficult, many species will not survive. Human industries and activities produce the world's air pollution, most of it carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases that result in global warming. The U.S. releases approximately 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per person each year.
What You Can Do
You can help stop global warming by taking these 10 steps to cut your yearly emissions of carbon dioxide by thousands of pounds.
1. Next time, buy a car that gets at least 30 miles per gallon (reduces carbon dioxide 2,500 pounds a year over a car that gets 10 mpg less.).
2. Where you can, choose an electric utility company that does not produce power from polluting sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear fission. (Enormous potential reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.)
3. Replace standard light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescents. (Reduces emissions by 500 pounds per year light bulb.)
4. Replace worn-out home appliances with energy efficient models. (Reduces emissions by up to 3,000 pounds per year.)
5. Choose the best energy-saving models when you replace windows. (Reduces emissions up to 10,000 pounds per year.)
6. Wrap your water heater in an insulating jacket. (Reduces emissions up to 1,000 pounds per year.)
7. Install low-flow showerheads that use less water. (Reduces emissions up to 300 pounds per year.)
8. Ask your utility company for a home energy audit to pinpoint the biggest energy-wasters. (Potential reduction of thousands of pounds per year.)
9. Whenever possible, walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit. (Reduces emissions by 20 pounds for every gallon of gasoline used.)
10. Insulate walls and ceilings and save about 25% of home heating bills. (And reduce emissions by up to 2,000 pounds per year.)
Additional Resources
Energy Star Website: http://www.energystar.gov - Energy Star products use less energy than other products, save you money on utility bills, and help protect the environment.
WWF's Climate Change site provides more information, breaking news, and online actions.
Stopping Global Warming
As pollution increases, so does the world's average temperature. Global warming forces rapid changes in human and animal habitats. Life becomes more difficult, many species will not survive. Human industries and activities produce the world's air pollution, most of it carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases that result in global warming. The U.S. releases approximately 40,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per person each year.
What You Can Do
You can help stop global warming by taking these 10 steps to cut your yearly emissions of carbon dioxide by thousands of pounds.
1. Next time, buy a car that gets at least 30 miles per gallon (reduces carbon dioxide 2,500 pounds a year over a car that gets 10 mpg less.).
2. Where you can, choose an electric utility company that does not produce power from polluting sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear fission. (Enormous potential reductions in carbon dioxide emissions.)
3. Replace standard light bulbs with energy-efficient fluorescents. (Reduces emissions by 500 pounds per year light bulb.)
4. Replace worn-out home appliances with energy efficient models. (Reduces emissions by up to 3,000 pounds per year.)
5. Choose the best energy-saving models when you replace windows. (Reduces emissions up to 10,000 pounds per year.)
6. Wrap your water heater in an insulating jacket. (Reduces emissions up to 1,000 pounds per year.)
7. Install low-flow showerheads that use less water. (Reduces emissions up to 300 pounds per year.)
8. Ask your utility company for a home energy audit to pinpoint the biggest energy-wasters. (Potential reduction of thousands of pounds per year.)
9. Whenever possible, walk, bike, carpool or use mass transit. (Reduces emissions by 20 pounds for every gallon of gasoline used.)
10. Insulate walls and ceilings and save about 25% of home heating bills. (And reduce emissions by up to 2,000 pounds per year.)
Additional Resources
Energy Star Website: http://www.energystar.gov - Energy Star products use less energy than other products, save you money on utility bills, and help protect the environment.
WWF's Climate Change site provides more information, breaking news, and online actions.
Hooray to the Humane Society for all that they do! plus Kinevel pics
As some of you know, animal cruelty is one thing that upsets me greatly and I really try to do what I can to help out animals who have been abused, neglected, etc. I even rescued my own kitty 4 years ago off the side of the road, at only a month old!
Follow this link to see what the Humane Society has achieved over the last few years - it really is amazing! https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=17640186
Here's my kitty right after we first found him:
And here he is now at 4 years old - this is actually a picture taken from my photography series entitled: Kitty and the spider :)
Follow this link to see what the Humane Society has achieved over the last few years - it really is amazing! https://community.hsus.org/humane/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=17640186
Here's my kitty right after we first found him:
And here he is now at 4 years old - this is actually a picture taken from my photography series entitled: Kitty and the spider :)
Sunday, December 9, 2007
The Geminids are coming!!! Meteor shower next week!
The Geminids Are Coming
This is an abridged version of an article that appears in the December Sky & Telescope, page 71.
Geminid meteor
A bright meteor from the 2004 Geminid meteor shower was captured with a tripod-mounted digital camera and a 16-mm lens. It’s a 1-minute exposure at f/2.8 with an ISO setting of 800.
Courtesy Alan Dyer.
The night sky offers many wonderful sights, but few are as magical as meteors. These “shooting stars” are fleeting, unpredictable, and incredibly beautiful. Every time I see one, I feel as though I’ve received a special gift from the cosmos.
Meteors happen all the time. You’re almost sure to see them any time you spend a few hours looking at a clear, dark sky. But you can improve your odds tremendously by going out during one of the annual meteor showers — bursts of meteors that take place on roughly the same dates every year.
The strongest and most reliable meteor showers are the Perseids of August and December’s Geminids. Balmy weather and summer vacations have made the Perseids well known and popular, but the Geminids are actually easier to view from mid-northern latitudes. For one thing, nights are much longer in December. And while the Perseids are best viewed before dawn (as most showers are), the Geminids offer excellent viewing starting in mid- to late evening.
This year, the best time to view the Geminids from North America is the night of December 13–14, with good prospects the following night as well. In Asia, December 14–15 should be better, and in Europe, it’s a tossup between the two.
Your Detailed Local Forecast
This photo shows Geminids streaming away from the shower's radiant near the star Castor. It was made by combining 83 out of 1,256 exposures shot over an 11-hour time span on December 13-14, 2004. Click above for a larger image.
Fred Bruenjes
All the meteors in a shower appear to stream at us from a single spot in the sky: the shower’s radiant. Meteor showers are named after their radiants. For instance, the Geminids stream away from a point in the northeastern corner of the constellation Gemini, which is currently host to brilliant Mars.
All other things being equal, the higher a shower’s radiant is in the sky, the more meteors you’ll see. The Geminid’s radiant is highest around 2 a.m., and it’s already well above the eastern horizon by 9 or 10 p.m. for observers at mid-northern latitudes. That means that the Geminids usually offer excellent shows in the late evening. But there are two more factors to consider.
The darker the sky is, the more meteors you’ll see — and the more spectacular they’ll appear. So it’s usually best to pick a time when the Moon isn’t up. Fortunately, the Moon is a thin waxing crescent during this year’s Geminids, setting before the shower is in full swing and not very bright even while it’s still up.
The final factor is the shower’s inherent strength: the number of meteoroids hitting Earth as a whole, regardless of your own local circumstances. Some showers stretch over many days or even weeks, but the Geminids have a very sharp peak. The curve is also strikingly asymmetric. It takes two days for the rate to climb from one-fifth of the maximum to full strength, but less than one day to drop back to the same level.
This year the Geminids’ peak arrives at 17h Universal Time on Friday, December 14th. That’s great news in East Asia, where the peak coincides with the radiant’s reaching its highest point in the sky, during the early hours of Saturday morning. But in the Americas, the peak falls right in the middle of the day, at noon Eastern Standard Time on Friday. So we’ll miss the very best part of the show.
Because the Geminid rate rises slower than it falls, prospects for North Americans are better before the peak than afterward. Activity should start out modestly around 9 or 10 p.m. on Thursday, December 13th, and then strengthen steadily throughout the night. Just before dawn on Friday morning, you might see a meteor every minute or two from a dark location.
On Friday evening, activity should start about as well as it did on Thursday evening but then decline steadily throughout the night. In fact, the predawn hours of Thursday may offer better viewing, even though they’re more than a day before the shower’s peak.
If you'd like to try not just sightseeing but doing a genuine meteor count, one worth reporting to the International Meteor Organization, see our article "Advanced Meteor Observing". It's easier than it sounds.
This is an abridged version of an article that appears in the December Sky & Telescope, page 71.
Geminid meteor
A bright meteor from the 2004 Geminid meteor shower was captured with a tripod-mounted digital camera and a 16-mm lens. It’s a 1-minute exposure at f/2.8 with an ISO setting of 800.
Courtesy Alan Dyer.
The night sky offers many wonderful sights, but few are as magical as meteors. These “shooting stars” are fleeting, unpredictable, and incredibly beautiful. Every time I see one, I feel as though I’ve received a special gift from the cosmos.
Meteors happen all the time. You’re almost sure to see them any time you spend a few hours looking at a clear, dark sky. But you can improve your odds tremendously by going out during one of the annual meteor showers — bursts of meteors that take place on roughly the same dates every year.
The strongest and most reliable meteor showers are the Perseids of August and December’s Geminids. Balmy weather and summer vacations have made the Perseids well known and popular, but the Geminids are actually easier to view from mid-northern latitudes. For one thing, nights are much longer in December. And while the Perseids are best viewed before dawn (as most showers are), the Geminids offer excellent viewing starting in mid- to late evening.
This year, the best time to view the Geminids from North America is the night of December 13–14, with good prospects the following night as well. In Asia, December 14–15 should be better, and in Europe, it’s a tossup between the two.
Your Detailed Local Forecast
This photo shows Geminids streaming away from the shower's radiant near the star Castor. It was made by combining 83 out of 1,256 exposures shot over an 11-hour time span on December 13-14, 2004. Click above for a larger image.
Fred Bruenjes
All the meteors in a shower appear to stream at us from a single spot in the sky: the shower’s radiant. Meteor showers are named after their radiants. For instance, the Geminids stream away from a point in the northeastern corner of the constellation Gemini, which is currently host to brilliant Mars.
All other things being equal, the higher a shower’s radiant is in the sky, the more meteors you’ll see. The Geminid’s radiant is highest around 2 a.m., and it’s already well above the eastern horizon by 9 or 10 p.m. for observers at mid-northern latitudes. That means that the Geminids usually offer excellent shows in the late evening. But there are two more factors to consider.
The darker the sky is, the more meteors you’ll see — and the more spectacular they’ll appear. So it’s usually best to pick a time when the Moon isn’t up. Fortunately, the Moon is a thin waxing crescent during this year’s Geminids, setting before the shower is in full swing and not very bright even while it’s still up.
The final factor is the shower’s inherent strength: the number of meteoroids hitting Earth as a whole, regardless of your own local circumstances. Some showers stretch over many days or even weeks, but the Geminids have a very sharp peak. The curve is also strikingly asymmetric. It takes two days for the rate to climb from one-fifth of the maximum to full strength, but less than one day to drop back to the same level.
This year the Geminids’ peak arrives at 17h Universal Time on Friday, December 14th. That’s great news in East Asia, where the peak coincides with the radiant’s reaching its highest point in the sky, during the early hours of Saturday morning. But in the Americas, the peak falls right in the middle of the day, at noon Eastern Standard Time on Friday. So we’ll miss the very best part of the show.
Because the Geminid rate rises slower than it falls, prospects for North Americans are better before the peak than afterward. Activity should start out modestly around 9 or 10 p.m. on Thursday, December 13th, and then strengthen steadily throughout the night. Just before dawn on Friday morning, you might see a meteor every minute or two from a dark location.
On Friday evening, activity should start about as well as it did on Thursday evening but then decline steadily throughout the night. In fact, the predawn hours of Thursday may offer better viewing, even though they’re more than a day before the shower’s peak.
If you'd like to try not just sightseeing but doing a genuine meteor count, one worth reporting to the International Meteor Organization, see our article "Advanced Meteor Observing". It's easier than it sounds.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
The real horrors of Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia – Its Many Possible Symptoms, Diagnosis via Palpation
of the Musculoskeletal Tissues (Mapping), and the Guaifenesin
Protocol
by R. Paul St. Amand, MD and Claudia Craig Marek, MA
12-01-2007 Fibromyalgia is a symptomatically progressive illness
that affects millions of people. It is manifested by many complaints
that early in the disease come and go, but later are unrelenting.
Recurrent flares eventually involve multiple body areas and systems
until patients simply cycle from bad to worse.
They are typically referred from doctor to doctor based on
individual complaints. The specialist may fail to grasp the extent
of the problem and divide the disease into categories that lead to
medical dead ends or incomplete treatments. Some of these symptom
clusters are:
Chronic fatigue,
Systemic candidiasis,
Myofascial pain,
Irritable bowel, or
Vulvar pain syndrome.
There are no diagnostic x-ray or laboratory tests to diagnose
Fibromyalgia.
The American College of Rheumatology recommends eliciting pain from
at least 11 out of 18 predetermined "tender points" to confirm the
diagnosis after a medical history is taken. Unfortunately,
individual pain perception and tenderness vary greatly. Chronic
fatigue patients have high pain thresholds and are not particularly
sensitive to finger-poking. They may feel stiff, but complain mainly
of exhaustion, muscle stiffness and cognitive impairment. The
confirmation of affected tissue is more reliably obtained by using
our method of palpation that we call mapping.
The original description of fibromyalgia as "rheumatism with hard
and tender places" has been forgotten. The tender-point exam seeks
subjective patient pain sensations and so lacks the accuracy of
objective, sequential body examinations (mapping).
We examine the musculoskeletal tissues using the pads of our fingers
to feel muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
With practice, multiple swollen places become obvious. We sketch
their location, size and degree of hardness on a caricature that
becomes our baseline for future comparisons. Hands should move as if
to iron out wrinkles in the underlying tissues. Expressions of
tenderness do not influence findings. The most important site for
confirming the diagnosis and establishing the efficacy of treatment
is the left thigh. The outside of the quadriceps muscle (Vastus
lateralis) and the front part (Rectus femoris) are involved in 100%
of adults; they clear within the first month of proper treatment.
Fibromyalgia has no set symptoms.
Various combinations from the following list can be anticipated.
(But importantly: Do not assume fibromyalgia is the cause of all
symptoms. When in doubt or confronted with new problems, please
consult your personal physician or appropriate specialist.)
Central Nervous System: Fatigue, irritability, nervousness,
depression, apathy, listlessness, impaired memory and concentration,
anxieties and even suicidal thoughts. Insomnia and frequent
awakening due to pain result in non restorative sleep.
Musculoskeletal: Swollen structures press on nerves to produce all
types of pains including stiffness. Any muscle, tendon, ligament or
fascia in the face, neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, ankles,
feet, arms, legs and chest may be involved. Calf/foot cramps,
numbness and tingling of the face or extremities is common. Old
injured or operative sites are commonly affected. Fibromyalgia is
erroneously considered non-arthritic even though joint pain,
swelling, heat and redness occur in a large percentage of patients.
Irritable Bowel: Symptoms include nausea (usually transient,
repetitive waves), indigestion, gas, bloating, deep pain, cramps,
alternating constipation and diarrhea sometimes with mucous stools.
Genitourinary: Mostly affecting women are pungent urine, frequent
urination, bladder spasms, burning urination (dysuria) with or
without repeated bladder infections and interstitial cystitis.
Vulvodynia (vulvar pain syndrome) includes vaginal spasm, irritation
of the labia (vulvitis) or deeper (vestibulitis) that induce painful
intercourse (dyspareunia) all without the typical cottage-cheese
discharge that accompanies yeast infections. Fibromyalgia is worse
premenstrually.
Dermatological: Various rashes may appear with or without itching:
Hives, red blotches, itchy bumps or blisters, eczema, seborrheic or
neurodermatitis, and rosacea. Skin is dry and nails are brittle or
easily peel; hair is of poor quality and often falls out
prematurely. Strange sensations (paresthesias) are common such as
cold, burning (especially palms, soles and thighs), crawling,
electric vibrations, prickling, super-sensitivity to touch, and
flushing often with sweating.
Head, Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat: Headaches (migraines), dizziness,
vertigo (spinning) or imbalance; itchy, burning and dry eyes or lids
sometimes produce morning sticky or sandy discharges; blurred
vision; hay fever or nasal congestion and post-nasal drip; painful,
burning or cut-tongue sensation, scalded mouth and abnormal tastes
(bad, metallic); intermittent low-pitched sounds or transient
ringing in the ears (tinnitus); ear and eyeball pain; sensitivity to
light, sounds and odors (perfumes or chemicals).
Miscellaneous Symptoms: Weight gain; mild fever; reduced immunity to
infection; fluid retention with morning eyelid and hand swelling
that gravitates to the legs by evening, stretches tiny tissue nerves
to produce restless leg syndrome; adult-onset asthma.
Hypoglycemia Syndrome: This is a separate entity that may affect
thirty percent of female and fifteen percent of male fibromyalgics.
Sugar craving, tremors, clamminess, anxiety, panic attacks, heart
pounding, headaches and faintness induced by hunger or by eating
sugar and starches (carbohydrates) are solid clues for diagnosis.
R. Paul St. Amand, MD
Associate Clinical Professor Medicine
Endocrinology - Harbor-UCLA
of the Musculoskeletal Tissues (Mapping), and the Guaifenesin
Protocol
by R. Paul St. Amand, MD and Claudia Craig Marek, MA
12-01-2007 Fibromyalgia is a symptomatically progressive illness
that affects millions of people. It is manifested by many complaints
that early in the disease come and go, but later are unrelenting.
Recurrent flares eventually involve multiple body areas and systems
until patients simply cycle from bad to worse.
They are typically referred from doctor to doctor based on
individual complaints. The specialist may fail to grasp the extent
of the problem and divide the disease into categories that lead to
medical dead ends or incomplete treatments. Some of these symptom
clusters are:
Chronic fatigue,
Systemic candidiasis,
Myofascial pain,
Irritable bowel, or
Vulvar pain syndrome.
There are no diagnostic x-ray or laboratory tests to diagnose
Fibromyalgia.
The American College of Rheumatology recommends eliciting pain from
at least 11 out of 18 predetermined "tender points" to confirm the
diagnosis after a medical history is taken. Unfortunately,
individual pain perception and tenderness vary greatly. Chronic
fatigue patients have high pain thresholds and are not particularly
sensitive to finger-poking. They may feel stiff, but complain mainly
of exhaustion, muscle stiffness and cognitive impairment. The
confirmation of affected tissue is more reliably obtained by using
our method of palpation that we call mapping.
The original description of fibromyalgia as "rheumatism with hard
and tender places" has been forgotten. The tender-point exam seeks
subjective patient pain sensations and so lacks the accuracy of
objective, sequential body examinations (mapping).
We examine the musculoskeletal tissues using the pads of our fingers
to feel muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
With practice, multiple swollen places become obvious. We sketch
their location, size and degree of hardness on a caricature that
becomes our baseline for future comparisons. Hands should move as if
to iron out wrinkles in the underlying tissues. Expressions of
tenderness do not influence findings. The most important site for
confirming the diagnosis and establishing the efficacy of treatment
is the left thigh. The outside of the quadriceps muscle (Vastus
lateralis) and the front part (Rectus femoris) are involved in 100%
of adults; they clear within the first month of proper treatment.
Fibromyalgia has no set symptoms.
Various combinations from the following list can be anticipated.
(But importantly: Do not assume fibromyalgia is the cause of all
symptoms. When in doubt or confronted with new problems, please
consult your personal physician or appropriate specialist.)
Central Nervous System: Fatigue, irritability, nervousness,
depression, apathy, listlessness, impaired memory and concentration,
anxieties and even suicidal thoughts. Insomnia and frequent
awakening due to pain result in non restorative sleep.
Musculoskeletal: Swollen structures press on nerves to produce all
types of pains including stiffness. Any muscle, tendon, ligament or
fascia in the face, neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, ankles,
feet, arms, legs and chest may be involved. Calf/foot cramps,
numbness and tingling of the face or extremities is common. Old
injured or operative sites are commonly affected. Fibromyalgia is
erroneously considered non-arthritic even though joint pain,
swelling, heat and redness occur in a large percentage of patients.
Irritable Bowel: Symptoms include nausea (usually transient,
repetitive waves), indigestion, gas, bloating, deep pain, cramps,
alternating constipation and diarrhea sometimes with mucous stools.
Genitourinary: Mostly affecting women are pungent urine, frequent
urination, bladder spasms, burning urination (dysuria) with or
without repeated bladder infections and interstitial cystitis.
Vulvodynia (vulvar pain syndrome) includes vaginal spasm, irritation
of the labia (vulvitis) or deeper (vestibulitis) that induce painful
intercourse (dyspareunia) all without the typical cottage-cheese
discharge that accompanies yeast infections. Fibromyalgia is worse
premenstrually.
Dermatological: Various rashes may appear with or without itching:
Hives, red blotches, itchy bumps or blisters, eczema, seborrheic or
neurodermatitis, and rosacea. Skin is dry and nails are brittle or
easily peel; hair is of poor quality and often falls out
prematurely. Strange sensations (paresthesias) are common such as
cold, burning (especially palms, soles and thighs), crawling,
electric vibrations, prickling, super-sensitivity to touch, and
flushing often with sweating.
Head, Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat: Headaches (migraines), dizziness,
vertigo (spinning) or imbalance; itchy, burning and dry eyes or lids
sometimes produce morning sticky or sandy discharges; blurred
vision; hay fever or nasal congestion and post-nasal drip; painful,
burning or cut-tongue sensation, scalded mouth and abnormal tastes
(bad, metallic); intermittent low-pitched sounds or transient
ringing in the ears (tinnitus); ear and eyeball pain; sensitivity to
light, sounds and odors (perfumes or chemicals).
Miscellaneous Symptoms: Weight gain; mild fever; reduced immunity to
infection; fluid retention with morning eyelid and hand swelling
that gravitates to the legs by evening, stretches tiny tissue nerves
to produce restless leg syndrome; adult-onset asthma.
Hypoglycemia Syndrome: This is a separate entity that may affect
thirty percent of female and fifteen percent of male fibromyalgics.
Sugar craving, tremors, clamminess, anxiety, panic attacks, heart
pounding, headaches and faintness induced by hunger or by eating
sugar and starches (carbohydrates) are solid clues for diagnosis.
R. Paul St. Amand, MD
Associate Clinical Professor Medicine
Endocrinology - Harbor-UCLA
Gates vs. GM - this is so funny!!!
My favorite is #5, yes I am very anti-Mac, for many different reasons. But that's for another day. Enjoy!
Gates vs. GM
For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,
"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):
1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
Gates vs. GM
For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated,
"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."
In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):
1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Why you should not drive while talking and holding a cell phone!
I'm sending this because I want people to be as safe as possible while driving on the road, whether you are in a city, town or on the freeway. I realize that those of you who are safe drivers, already know about the law that states that if you turn your windshield whippers on during rain, mist, fog and/or snow, that you must turn on your headlights. Well, during the last rain storm, I noticed that at least half the people I saw on the road did not have their headlights on, and even when I flicked my lights at them, they had no clue as to why I was doing that. On the freeways, the numbers of people without their lights on was more like 75%, which just scares me to death.
I just do not understand what these people don't get about needing to turn on their lights so that other people can see them and also because it's a state law in California, as well as in 28 other states. You shouldn't even have to be told that it is a law - it should be automatic. But sadly this is not the case :( So because of this and until law enforcement understands that they need to start cracking down on this and ticketing people for it during storms, I think it would help if we all try to spread the word to our own friends and family and have them do the same in return. I think that if people really made the effort to do this, we would have less accidents. I realize that people also need to slow down, instead of seeming to drive even faster when it rains than they do when it is not - (someone please explain this to me because the logic of it makes no sense) - and that the two combined would probably prevent a majority of the number of accidents we see and the traffic created by those accidents.
So please spread the word, and help educate those who are not aware. I believe that education will greatly help to make drivers drive safer in those types of conditions. If no one ever tells them about a new law (and this one was passed in 2005), then they will never obey it. Here is some more info on this particular law:
Headlamps on Motor Vehicles
24400. (a) A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be:
(1) ( )1 Equipped with at least two ( )2 headlamps, with at least one on each side of the front of the vehicle, and, except as to vehicles registered prior to January 1, 1930, they shall be located directly above or in advance of the front axle of the vehicle. The headlamps and every light source in any headlamp unit shall be located at a height of not more than 54 inches nor less than 22 inches.
(2) Operated during darkness, or inclement weather, or both, with at least two lighted headlamps that comply with paragraph (1).
(b) As used in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), “inclement weather” is a weather condition that is either of the following:
(1) A condition that prevents a driver of a motor vehicle from clearly discerning a person or another motor vehicle on the highway from a distance of 1,000 feet.
(2) A condition requiring the windshield wipers to be in continuous use due to rain, mist, snow, fog, or other precipitation or atmospheric moisture.( )3
Added Sec. 2, Ch. 415, Stats. 2004. Effectve January 1, 2005. Operative July 1, 2005.
Amended Sec. 9, Ch. 311, Stats. 2006. Effective January 1, 2007.
The 2006 amendment added the italicized material, and at the point(s) indicated, deleted the following:
1. “During darkness and inclement weather, a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be equipped”
2. “lighted”
3. “(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2005.
And for those who are not aware of this either, now is the time to stop using your cell phones in your vehicles OR get a hands-free headset, because come Jan 1, 2008, a new law will come into effect banning the use of cell phones by the driver of a vehicle - meaning you cannot be holding your phone with one hand and talking while driving your vehicle. I believe this is one of the top reasons that accidents happen all too often these days. Most of the time, when I am driving around, it is the people who are weaving, driving right on the line seperating two lanes on streets or freeways plus not even paying attention to what they are doing, let alone looking straight in front of them and even driving eratically while multi-tasking with their phone in their car, who are responsible for accidents and traffic.
I no longer answer my phone while in my car and people just need to accept that. When I drive long distances, like up to Oregon, I especially don't answer it. If I need to make a call or return one, I will do so at a rest stop or I will pull over. I don't care how someone wants to justify it, it is just not safe! So go buy your hands-free headsets and you'll be just fine. I have one on my Christmas list :)
Instructors who teach driving classes will tell you the same thing - even with the use of headsets for phones, there are still certain conditions where it is not safe to be doing something else while driving such as having a conversation with someone - in the car or on your phone! See what happens the next time you are driving your vehicle and you're having a conversation with someone who is also in your vehicle. What happens when you suddenly have to hit the brakes to prevent crashing into someone who has stopped quickly in front of you or because there is suddenly a build up of stopped traffic? I bet you anything, that you are going to stop talking for that temporary moment while you slow down your vehicle and assess what is going on in front of you.
Please help spread the word, to help make our roads safer to drive on. Thank you!
I just do not understand what these people don't get about needing to turn on their lights so that other people can see them and also because it's a state law in California, as well as in 28 other states. You shouldn't even have to be told that it is a law - it should be automatic. But sadly this is not the case :( So because of this and until law enforcement understands that they need to start cracking down on this and ticketing people for it during storms, I think it would help if we all try to spread the word to our own friends and family and have them do the same in return. I think that if people really made the effort to do this, we would have less accidents. I realize that people also need to slow down, instead of seeming to drive even faster when it rains than they do when it is not - (someone please explain this to me because the logic of it makes no sense) - and that the two combined would probably prevent a majority of the number of accidents we see and the traffic created by those accidents.
So please spread the word, and help educate those who are not aware. I believe that education will greatly help to make drivers drive safer in those types of conditions. If no one ever tells them about a new law (and this one was passed in 2005), then they will never obey it. Here is some more info on this particular law:
Headlamps on Motor Vehicles
24400. (a) A motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be:
(1) ( )1 Equipped with at least two ( )2 headlamps, with at least one on each side of the front of the vehicle, and, except as to vehicles registered prior to January 1, 1930, they shall be located directly above or in advance of the front axle of the vehicle. The headlamps and every light source in any headlamp unit shall be located at a height of not more than 54 inches nor less than 22 inches.
(2) Operated during darkness, or inclement weather, or both, with at least two lighted headlamps that comply with paragraph (1).
(b) As used in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), “inclement weather” is a weather condition that is either of the following:
(1) A condition that prevents a driver of a motor vehicle from clearly discerning a person or another motor vehicle on the highway from a distance of 1,000 feet.
(2) A condition requiring the windshield wipers to be in continuous use due to rain, mist, snow, fog, or other precipitation or atmospheric moisture.( )3
Added Sec. 2, Ch. 415, Stats. 2004. Effectve January 1, 2005. Operative July 1, 2005.
Amended Sec. 9, Ch. 311, Stats. 2006. Effective January 1, 2007.
The 2006 amendment added the italicized material, and at the point(s) indicated, deleted the following:
1. “During darkness and inclement weather, a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, shall be equipped”
2. “lighted”
3. “(c) This section shall become operative on July 1, 2005.
And for those who are not aware of this either, now is the time to stop using your cell phones in your vehicles OR get a hands-free headset, because come Jan 1, 2008, a new law will come into effect banning the use of cell phones by the driver of a vehicle - meaning you cannot be holding your phone with one hand and talking while driving your vehicle. I believe this is one of the top reasons that accidents happen all too often these days. Most of the time, when I am driving around, it is the people who are weaving, driving right on the line seperating two lanes on streets or freeways plus not even paying attention to what they are doing, let alone looking straight in front of them and even driving eratically while multi-tasking with their phone in their car, who are responsible for accidents and traffic.
I no longer answer my phone while in my car and people just need to accept that. When I drive long distances, like up to Oregon, I especially don't answer it. If I need to make a call or return one, I will do so at a rest stop or I will pull over. I don't care how someone wants to justify it, it is just not safe! So go buy your hands-free headsets and you'll be just fine. I have one on my Christmas list :)
Instructors who teach driving classes will tell you the same thing - even with the use of headsets for phones, there are still certain conditions where it is not safe to be doing something else while driving such as having a conversation with someone - in the car or on your phone! See what happens the next time you are driving your vehicle and you're having a conversation with someone who is also in your vehicle. What happens when you suddenly have to hit the brakes to prevent crashing into someone who has stopped quickly in front of you or because there is suddenly a build up of stopped traffic? I bet you anything, that you are going to stop talking for that temporary moment while you slow down your vehicle and assess what is going on in front of you.
Please help spread the word, to help make our roads safer to drive on. Thank you!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Comet Holmes information
This is a really great link that gives a detailed timemap of it's journey through out sky along with amazing pictures. I was finally able to see if the other night. Just amazing! I remember my dad waking me up at 4am in lake tahoe when I was a little girl, to walk down in the freezing cold air to the pier and look at Haley's Comet.
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/10775326.html
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/10775326.html
Leonids 2007
Leonids 2007
The Leonid meteor shower has been responsible for some of the most spectacular celestial displays in history. Most recently, there were several extremely intense Leonids from 1998 to 2002, with some observers reporting more than 1,000 meteors per hour.
Meteor storms like these happen only around the time that the parent comet, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, makes it closest approach to the Sun. Tempel-Tuttle is now far from Earth and the Sun, so the 2007 Leonids are expected to be modest, with no more then 10 meteors visible per hour. However, the Leonids have yielded surprises before, so they're always worth watching.
The shower peaks on the night of Saturday–Sunday, November 17–18. Leonids start to be visible after the shower's radiant rises above the horizon, around midnight at mid-northern latitudes. Conveniently, the Moon sets around the same time. You're likely to see increasing numbers of meteors as the radiant gets higher toward dawn.
As long as you're outside in the early morning, don't forget to look at the sky's other attractions. In addition to all the brilliant winter stars, several bright planets are on display. Mars blazes at magnitude -1 almost directly overhead. Saturn climbs into the sky not far behind the Leonids' radiant. And Venus clears the eastern horizon around 3 a.m.
And of course, take a good look at amazing Comet Holmes, which is well above the horizon all night long.
The Leonid meteor shower has been responsible for some of the most spectacular celestial displays in history. Most recently, there were several extremely intense Leonids from 1998 to 2002, with some observers reporting more than 1,000 meteors per hour.
Meteor storms like these happen only around the time that the parent comet, 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, makes it closest approach to the Sun. Tempel-Tuttle is now far from Earth and the Sun, so the 2007 Leonids are expected to be modest, with no more then 10 meteors visible per hour. However, the Leonids have yielded surprises before, so they're always worth watching.
The shower peaks on the night of Saturday–Sunday, November 17–18. Leonids start to be visible after the shower's radiant rises above the horizon, around midnight at mid-northern latitudes. Conveniently, the Moon sets around the same time. You're likely to see increasing numbers of meteors as the radiant gets higher toward dawn.
As long as you're outside in the early morning, don't forget to look at the sky's other attractions. In addition to all the brilliant winter stars, several bright planets are on display. Mars blazes at magnitude -1 almost directly overhead. Saturn climbs into the sky not far behind the Leonids' radiant. And Venus clears the eastern horizon around 3 a.m.
And of course, take a good look at amazing Comet Holmes, which is well above the horizon all night long.
Terry Factor - An absolutely amazing Ventriloquist!
Watch these videos to check him out! Wow, I'm just stunned!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZMi5IQNY84
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTSFhIv9bYg&feature=related - Kermit the Frog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnVDHzUAj30&feature=related - Unforgettable
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZMi5IQNY84
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTSFhIv9bYg&feature=related - Kermit the Frog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnVDHzUAj30&feature=related - Unforgettable
Gold Country Lost Caves Discovered!
Lost caves revealed
Published: November 16, 2007
Click this picture to view a larger image.
Amy Alonzo/Union Democrat
By JAMES DAMSCHRODER
The Union Democrat
When New Melones Dam was filled a quarter century ago this year, thousands of acres of history and prehistory were lost to its watery depths.
Drought conditions, however, have lowered the lake level by 93 feet, bringing back a glimpse of what was lost – notably, several of the 20-plus caves inundated when the dam's floodwaters began to rise.
Ralph Squire, 78, vice president of the Columbia Grotto of the National Speleological Society, said there are two significant caves that became visible when the water level dropped.
Both are located near the east end of the reservoir where the Main and South forks of the Stanislaus River converge. Several smaller grottoes also exist.
One of the significant caves is Coral Cave.
"When the Native Americans lived there, they quarried travertine for religious jewelry," Squire said. "Some of that jewelry has been found on the North Coast because they used to trade it."
Squire wasn't able to save this cave from drowning, but he was able to save others.
While serving as the chairman of the New Melones Task Force almost 30 years ago, he made recommendations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to purchase 1,500 acres of land in the area to preserve some of the more significant caves threatened by the reservoir.
Still, 20 to 30 caves lay beneath the murky waters of the New Melones Lake, he said.
Where the Main and South forks of the Stanislaus meet, the landscape changes — the valley narrows and
the clay banks that surround the lake's western edges are replaced by jutting limestone cliffs.
The limestone is responsible for the area's caverns, said John Gardner, 60, of Columbia, a member of the Columbia Grotto.
Millions of years ago, hot brine pools formed, dissolving much of the limestone, and left these enormous caverns.
"I like the formations," said Gardner, who started caving when he was 16. "All the beauty the caves have to offer. I've been doing it a long time."
The caves attract people of all ages, like Michael White Jr., 15, a member of the Columbia Grotto, who first starting exploring caves with his father at age 6.
"You get to see a lot of things that other people don't," White said. "When I'm down there, it's relieving. There is no one around. It's quiet."
To explore Coral Cave now, you have to get in the bone-chilling water to fit through the cave entrance, which is now peaking out only a few feet above the waterline.
Once inside the cave, it opens up. Stalactites drip from the ceiling and stalagmites boil from the floor.
Experts warn that cave exploring is not for novices.
Lisa Boulton, marketing director for Sierra Nevada Recreation — the company that runs the tours for the area's Moaning and California caverns — said it's not a good idea for the inexperienced to explore wild caves.
"Don't go without someone that's an experienced caver," Boulton said. "It can be extremely dangerous."
Another reason novices are urged to go with more experienced spelunkers: Caves are fragile.
Grotto member Mike White Sr., 37, said that when someone abuses rock or mineral formations in a cave, it can take thousands of years for the damage to be undone.
"People should treat them (wild caves) as a treasure," White Sr. said. "Stalactites don't look as good on your coffee table as they would in the cave."
Particularly caves one rarely gets to visit.
"It's special because of the limited time you get to see it," White said of Coral Cave. "It's neat because it was proven that American Indians used it as a shelter."
Published: November 16, 2007
Click this picture to view a larger image.
Amy Alonzo/Union Democrat
By JAMES DAMSCHRODER
The Union Democrat
When New Melones Dam was filled a quarter century ago this year, thousands of acres of history and prehistory were lost to its watery depths.
Drought conditions, however, have lowered the lake level by 93 feet, bringing back a glimpse of what was lost – notably, several of the 20-plus caves inundated when the dam's floodwaters began to rise.
Ralph Squire, 78, vice president of the Columbia Grotto of the National Speleological Society, said there are two significant caves that became visible when the water level dropped.
Both are located near the east end of the reservoir where the Main and South forks of the Stanislaus River converge. Several smaller grottoes also exist.
One of the significant caves is Coral Cave.
"When the Native Americans lived there, they quarried travertine for religious jewelry," Squire said. "Some of that jewelry has been found on the North Coast because they used to trade it."
Squire wasn't able to save this cave from drowning, but he was able to save others.
While serving as the chairman of the New Melones Task Force almost 30 years ago, he made recommendations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to purchase 1,500 acres of land in the area to preserve some of the more significant caves threatened by the reservoir.
Still, 20 to 30 caves lay beneath the murky waters of the New Melones Lake, he said.
Where the Main and South forks of the Stanislaus meet, the landscape changes — the valley narrows and
the clay banks that surround the lake's western edges are replaced by jutting limestone cliffs.
The limestone is responsible for the area's caverns, said John Gardner, 60, of Columbia, a member of the Columbia Grotto.
Millions of years ago, hot brine pools formed, dissolving much of the limestone, and left these enormous caverns.
"I like the formations," said Gardner, who started caving when he was 16. "All the beauty the caves have to offer. I've been doing it a long time."
The caves attract people of all ages, like Michael White Jr., 15, a member of the Columbia Grotto, who first starting exploring caves with his father at age 6.
"You get to see a lot of things that other people don't," White said. "When I'm down there, it's relieving. There is no one around. It's quiet."
To explore Coral Cave now, you have to get in the bone-chilling water to fit through the cave entrance, which is now peaking out only a few feet above the waterline.
Once inside the cave, it opens up. Stalactites drip from the ceiling and stalagmites boil from the floor.
Experts warn that cave exploring is not for novices.
Lisa Boulton, marketing director for Sierra Nevada Recreation — the company that runs the tours for the area's Moaning and California caverns — said it's not a good idea for the inexperienced to explore wild caves.
"Don't go without someone that's an experienced caver," Boulton said. "It can be extremely dangerous."
Another reason novices are urged to go with more experienced spelunkers: Caves are fragile.
Grotto member Mike White Sr., 37, said that when someone abuses rock or mineral formations in a cave, it can take thousands of years for the damage to be undone.
"People should treat them (wild caves) as a treasure," White Sr. said. "Stalactites don't look as good on your coffee table as they would in the cave."
Particularly caves one rarely gets to visit.
"It's special because of the limited time you get to see it," White said of Coral Cave. "It's neat because it was proven that American Indians used it as a shelter."
Monday, November 12, 2007
Explore a real cave!! Neato :)
This is so cool!! Click on the link and then click on a red spot on the map of the cave. A new window will open and you'll see a 360 degree view of the part of the cave that you are in. With your cursor, click on that new screen and you can move around the cave, go down the tunnels, etc. This is a fantastic project!!
http://www.burger.si/Jame/KriznaJama/NovaKriznaJama/ENG_Uvod_NovaKriznaJama.html
:)
http://www.burger.si/Jame/KriznaJama/NovaKriznaJama/ENG_Uvod_NovaKriznaJama.html
:)
New study - Teens who use cannabis!!
I think it is awesome that someone is doing studies like this one!
Teens that use cannabis may function better than teen tobacco-users, and appear to be more socially driven and have fewer psychosocial problems than those who do not use either substance, according to a Swiss survey.
Researchers at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland surveyed 5,263 students, including 455 who smoke marijuana only, 1,703 who smoke marijuana and tobacco and 3,105 who smoked neither one.
The survey, which will be published in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found that marijuana-only smokers had better relationships with friends, better grades and were more likely to play sports than teens who smoked tobacco and those who abstained from both substances.
A U.S. substance abuse expert disagreed with the study and said U.S. teens should not be encouraged to use marijuana, particularly since teenagers’ brains are still developing at this time.
“Switzerland is very liberal compared to us in many ways,” Dr. Edwin Salsitz, senior physician of chemical dependency at Beth Israel Medical Center. “In general, it’s not a good idea for teenagers to use psychoactive drugs. The brain is still developing until the age of 21.
“Maybe (there’s) a cultural bias there that says it’s ok to use marijuana once or twice a month,” he continued “But from what I know, I’ve never heard that anyone thought it was beneficial. Most experts here would say that it’s not a good idea to use cannabis before the age of 15, because it interferes with school and the development of brain.”
Researchers found that marijuana-only users had the following characteristics:
— More likely to be male (71.6 percent marijuana smokers versus 59.7 percent of teens who used tobacco and marijuana)
— Play sports (85.5 percent vs. 66.7 percent of tobacco and marijuana)
— Live with both parents (78.2 percent vs. 68.3 percent of tobacco and marijuana)
— Have good grades (77.5 percent vs. 66.6 percent of tobacco and marijuana)
Cannabis-only smokers were also less likely to have been drunk in the past 30 days, less likely to use cannabis before the age of 15 and less likely to use marijuana more than once or twice in the past 30 days. They were also less likely to use other illegal drugs, compared to students who used both substances, researchers found.
“The gateway theory hypothesizes that the use of legal drugs (tobacco and alcohol) is the previous step to cannabis consumption,” the authors wrote. “However, recent research also indicates that cannabis use may precede or be simultaneous to tobacco use and that, in fact, its use may reinforce cigarette smoking or lead to nicotine addiction independently of smoking status. In any case, and even though they do not seem to have great personal, family, or academic problems, the situation of those adolescents who use cannabis but who declare not using tobacco should not be trivialized.”
In comparison to students who abstained from both substances, marijuana-only smokers were:
— More likely to be male (71.6 percent cannabis users vs. 47.7 percent of teens who abstained)
— Have a good relationship with friends (87 percent vs. 83.2 percent)
— Be sensation-seeking (37.8 percent vs. 21.8 percent)
— Play sports (85.5 percent vs. 76.6 percent)
— Less likely to have a good relationship with their parents (74.1 percent vs. 82.4 percent)
The fact that some students who smoked marijuana were less likely to have a good relationship with their parents wasn’t surprising to Salsitz. “The way to look at it is to look at alcohol as an analogy,” he said. “Do adults or teens who use alcohol have better relationships than those abstinent? That’s just not true. It looks like if you smoke marijuana and not tobacco, it’s better for you.”
He said the study should be viewed in terms of culture. “In France, people drink wine with food, but they don’t get drunk,” he said. “Kids also start doing this when they are young, and that’s different from here. I don’t think anyone would say that the active ingredient in marijuana is doing anything good in the brain, compared to abstaining or smoking tobacco, so there must be cultural reason for this happening.”
Teens that use cannabis may function better than teen tobacco-users, and appear to be more socially driven and have fewer psychosocial problems than those who do not use either substance, according to a Swiss survey.
Researchers at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland surveyed 5,263 students, including 455 who smoke marijuana only, 1,703 who smoke marijuana and tobacco and 3,105 who smoked neither one.
The survey, which will be published in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found that marijuana-only smokers had better relationships with friends, better grades and were more likely to play sports than teens who smoked tobacco and those who abstained from both substances.
A U.S. substance abuse expert disagreed with the study and said U.S. teens should not be encouraged to use marijuana, particularly since teenagers’ brains are still developing at this time.
“Switzerland is very liberal compared to us in many ways,” Dr. Edwin Salsitz, senior physician of chemical dependency at Beth Israel Medical Center. “In general, it’s not a good idea for teenagers to use psychoactive drugs. The brain is still developing until the age of 21.
“Maybe (there’s) a cultural bias there that says it’s ok to use marijuana once or twice a month,” he continued “But from what I know, I’ve never heard that anyone thought it was beneficial. Most experts here would say that it’s not a good idea to use cannabis before the age of 15, because it interferes with school and the development of brain.”
Researchers found that marijuana-only users had the following characteristics:
— More likely to be male (71.6 percent marijuana smokers versus 59.7 percent of teens who used tobacco and marijuana)
— Play sports (85.5 percent vs. 66.7 percent of tobacco and marijuana)
— Live with both parents (78.2 percent vs. 68.3 percent of tobacco and marijuana)
— Have good grades (77.5 percent vs. 66.6 percent of tobacco and marijuana)
Cannabis-only smokers were also less likely to have been drunk in the past 30 days, less likely to use cannabis before the age of 15 and less likely to use marijuana more than once or twice in the past 30 days. They were also less likely to use other illegal drugs, compared to students who used both substances, researchers found.
“The gateway theory hypothesizes that the use of legal drugs (tobacco and alcohol) is the previous step to cannabis consumption,” the authors wrote. “However, recent research also indicates that cannabis use may precede or be simultaneous to tobacco use and that, in fact, its use may reinforce cigarette smoking or lead to nicotine addiction independently of smoking status. In any case, and even though they do not seem to have great personal, family, or academic problems, the situation of those adolescents who use cannabis but who declare not using tobacco should not be trivialized.”
In comparison to students who abstained from both substances, marijuana-only smokers were:
— More likely to be male (71.6 percent cannabis users vs. 47.7 percent of teens who abstained)
— Have a good relationship with friends (87 percent vs. 83.2 percent)
— Be sensation-seeking (37.8 percent vs. 21.8 percent)
— Play sports (85.5 percent vs. 76.6 percent)
— Less likely to have a good relationship with their parents (74.1 percent vs. 82.4 percent)
The fact that some students who smoked marijuana were less likely to have a good relationship with their parents wasn’t surprising to Salsitz. “The way to look at it is to look at alcohol as an analogy,” he said. “Do adults or teens who use alcohol have better relationships than those abstinent? That’s just not true. It looks like if you smoke marijuana and not tobacco, it’s better for you.”
He said the study should be viewed in terms of culture. “In France, people drink wine with food, but they don’t get drunk,” he said. “Kids also start doing this when they are young, and that’s different from here. I don’t think anyone would say that the active ingredient in marijuana is doing anything good in the brain, compared to abstaining or smoking tobacco, so there must be cultural reason for this happening.”
Live painter on stage
This guy is pretty cool: http://www.youtube.com/swf/l.swf?video_id=QZFkZiwMLZ4&eurl=&iurl=http%3A//img.youtube.com/vi/QZFkZiwMLZ4/default.jpg&t=OEgsToPDskJYd0whWtTTSf7dOhlgctTV&rel=1&border=0
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
New comet in the sky and many events associated...
Space Weather News for Nov. 9, 2007
http://spaceweather.com
COMET TAIL: Exploding Comet 17P/Holmes continues to amaze onlookers. On Nov. 8th and 9th part of the comet's blue tail broke away in view of many backyard telescopes. Visit http://spaceweather.com to see photos of the "disconnection event" and speculation about what might have caused it.
TAURID METEOR SHOWER: The annual Northern Taurid meteor shower caused by Comet Encke peaks on Nov. 12th. Although Taurid rates are normally low, only about five meteors per hour, those five can be doozies. The shower is a well-known producer of slow, bright fireballs visible at all hours of the night. If you're outside after dark this weekend, be alert for Taurids.
Would you like to subscribe to Spaceweather Alerts? Click here: http://spaceweather.com/services/
http://spaceweather.com
COMET TAIL: Exploding Comet 17P/Holmes continues to amaze onlookers. On Nov. 8th and 9th part of the comet's blue tail broke away in view of many backyard telescopes. Visit http://spaceweather.com to see photos of the "disconnection event" and speculation about what might have caused it.
TAURID METEOR SHOWER: The annual Northern Taurid meteor shower caused by Comet Encke peaks on Nov. 12th. Although Taurid rates are normally low, only about five meteors per hour, those five can be doozies. The shower is a well-known producer of slow, bright fireballs visible at all hours of the night. If you're outside after dark this weekend, be alert for Taurids.
Would you like to subscribe to Spaceweather Alerts? Click here: http://spaceweather.com/services/
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Fleet Week from afar
I love Fleet Week every year. I remember very clearly growing up in Alameda, right smack next to the Naval Base here when it was up and running. I miss that. I wish we still had some kind of a miliary prescense here. My dad was in the Navy as a Naval Dentist, pretty cool! Anyway, many times a month we'd have these amazingly awesome jet aircraft flying over our house from takeoff or before landing at the Alameda naval base. I love the booming sound of Mach 1 and the prescision at which they can fly, so fast and such amazing acceleration. Fleet Week is all about celebrating that for the Bay Area. There are awesome naval boats that come into the bay and dock and you can actually tour the boats themselves. I believe this year and a few years ago there was a submarine included in the on water fleet. The Blue Angels fortunately were able to perform this year - some stupid anti-war people protested their prescense and tried to get them kicked out of the show. I realize what they fly is a war plane but also realize that I used to live here when they flew here all the time and I felt pretty darn safe. I am very anti-war but I love airplanes, especially jets so I'm not going to be against them flying. I think realistically they stand for more than just war but for freedom for our country and living free as Americans do. They also stand for peace. The Blue Angels recently lost one of their own when a stunt went wrong and they celebrated this pilot's legacy by having a new pilot come on board. I think what they do is really cool and just amazing. So I got some great pics from far away - when I was walking Goldie out in Harbor Bay, at the point and there was some other people out there purposely to watch the show. Over that weekend, I went out onto the Alameda Base and drove out on one of the many runways to where a bunch of parked cars were and people were up on their cars, looking over the fence and through it to get a great view of the planes flying and doing their stunts. I went over to the city with my dad last year for the first time but decided against it this year as I was not feeling well enough to deal with that many people - almost as bad as during Kaboom - on public transportation, so we stayed home. On Sunday my dad and I went out to the Berkeley marina, parked and walked out on the pier to watch them fly and I'm glad we did, because they occasionally did loop backs, where they fly across the bay to the Berkeley/Oakland area, turn around and fly back to set up for a new stunt. So my pics came out surprisingly well and I don't know if you'll be able to see the planes in the picture clearly or not but maybe you can get it to resize. :)
Tahoe in September
So at the same Tahoe trip as below, my brother was here with us, which was just awesome, as we don't see him in person that often. We really wanted to go in and see Euer Valley before it got closed for winter. So off we went on Monday after the wedding fun weekend. It was so beautiful, hardly any people in there besides the caretaker and it was still very green too. But the lake was really low, as well as the stream, which can be sad to see but I know that is part of life too. J and I went up to the lake on the motorcycle, me riding on the back. It's great that the two of us can ride one bike, me holding on for dear life - almost got bounced off coming back down the hill! I took some amazing pictures, practicing taking pictures of the reflections in the water and on the water's surface - of trees and these beautiful clouds that rolled in while we were up there. So enjoy these pictures too!
Pictures from Dog Art Festival in Lake Tahoe
These are from the dog art festival I went to day after the wedding, which is noted for Sept 2007 - it was just awesome! I got some really incredible pictures, which I will list below. So many dogs, the most I've ever seen in one place, even more different varieties of breeds then you would see in a dog park! And most were friendly and loved the attention, so it was a free for all in terms of getting lots of doggy love. I got some great information and was able to donate a few extra bucks towards the organizations that I learned about AND learned about some vets in the area, and other holistic pet shops and such that I'll have to check out next time I'm up in Tahoe and now I know that if I ever had an emergency situation with my kitty, because I do take him up to Tahoe when I go, that I will know where to take him. Knock on wood that that never happens but I like to be prepared!
So below are the pictures I was just talking about. These dogs were amazing. There was a fly ball contest, where the owners launched a tennis ball and the dogs would run and leap off the dock and the contest was to see how far the dog would jump and then land in the water. The pics of those came out amazingly great! The winner landed 21 feet out! Wow! I missed that one, which was right in the beginning but my brother saw it and said it was pretty neat.
We also at the end of the festival, before we left, got to watch a rescue dog demo, put on by the Alpine dog team that works out of the whole Tahoe and Donner areas, in search and rescue all year round. But they are the ones you'll see with dogs on snow mobiles and out running next to their partners who are on skiis. So they eldest rescue dog, the greyish cattle dog that is in my picture, is a female and has been working as a rescue dog since she was a puppy. She is now 15 and still does it. It's based on a reward/game system. The dogs really enjoy finding a person or object and they know that once they go to work, the faster that they find what they are looking for, the quicker they'll get to play afterwards with their favorite toy. Many of the dogs like the game of tug, so that is their reward. I was told that in the united states we use the toy reward and in Canada, they use a treat system. So everyone is different and different techniques work well for many reasons. But it was so fun watching this dog get into 'work' mode and run off and watch as the trainer gave her commands and how intelligent she really was. We all knew where the person was hiding but it was neat to see how accurate she was and what signals she gives her handler when she knows that she's in proximity to the person needing to be saved. They work a lot with avalanche victims and other situations like that. Enjoy the pictures!
So below are the pictures I was just talking about. These dogs were amazing. There was a fly ball contest, where the owners launched a tennis ball and the dogs would run and leap off the dock and the contest was to see how far the dog would jump and then land in the water. The pics of those came out amazingly great! The winner landed 21 feet out! Wow! I missed that one, which was right in the beginning but my brother saw it and said it was pretty neat.
We also at the end of the festival, before we left, got to watch a rescue dog demo, put on by the Alpine dog team that works out of the whole Tahoe and Donner areas, in search and rescue all year round. But they are the ones you'll see with dogs on snow mobiles and out running next to their partners who are on skiis. So they eldest rescue dog, the greyish cattle dog that is in my picture, is a female and has been working as a rescue dog since she was a puppy. She is now 15 and still does it. It's based on a reward/game system. The dogs really enjoy finding a person or object and they know that once they go to work, the faster that they find what they are looking for, the quicker they'll get to play afterwards with their favorite toy. Many of the dogs like the game of tug, so that is their reward. I was told that in the united states we use the toy reward and in Canada, they use a treat system. So everyone is different and different techniques work well for many reasons. But it was so fun watching this dog get into 'work' mode and run off and watch as the trainer gave her commands and how intelligent she really was. We all knew where the person was hiding but it was neat to see how accurate she was and what signals she gives her handler when she knows that she's in proximity to the person needing to be saved. They work a lot with avalanche victims and other situations like that. Enjoy the pictures!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Living With Invisible Chronic Pain!
Living With Pain That Just Won’t Go Away
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By JANE E. BRODY
Published: November 6, 2007
Pain, especially pain that doesn’t quit, changes a person. And rarely for the better. The initial reaction to serious pain is usually fear (what is wrong with me, and is it curable?), but pain that fails to respond to treatment leads to anxiety, depression, anger and irritability.
Skip to next paragraph
Stuart Bradford
At age 29, Walter, a computer programmer in Silicon Valley, developed a repetitive stress injury that caused severe pain in his hands when he touched the keyboard. The injury did not respond to rest. The pain became worse, spreading to his shoulders, neck and back.
Unable to work, lift, carry or squeeze anything without enduring days of crippling pain, Walter could no longer drive, open a jar or even sign his name.
“At age 29, I was on Social Security disability, basically confined to home, and my life seemed to be over,” Walter recalls in “Living With Chronic Pain,” by Dr. Jennifer Schneider. Severely depressed, he wonders whether his life is worth living.
Yet, despite his limited mobility and the pain-induced frown lines in his face, to look at Walter is to see a strapping, healthy young man. It is hard to tell that he, or any other person beset with chronic pain, is suffering as much as he says he is.
Pain is an invisible, subjective symptom. The body of a chronic pain sufferer — someone with fibromyalgia, for example, or back pain — usually appears intact. There are no objective tests to detect pain or measure its intensity. You just have to take a person’s word for it.
Nearly 10 percent of people in the United States suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain, and the prevalence increases with age. Complete relief from chronic pain is rare even with the best treatment, which is itself a rarity. Doctors and patients alike, who misunderstand the effects of narcotics, are too often reluctant to use drugs like opioids, which can relieve acute, as well as chronic, pain and may head off the development of a chronic pain syndrome.
Why Pain Persists
The problems with chronic pain are that it never really ends and does not always respond to treatment. If the pain initially was caused by an injury or illness, it can persist long after the injury has healed or the illness defeated because permanent changes have occurred in the body.
Mark Grant, a psychologist in Australia who specializes in managing chronic pain, says the notion that “physical injury equals pain” is overly simplistic. “We now know that pain is caused and maintained by a combination of physical, psychological and neurological factors,” Mr. Grant writes on his Web site, www.overcomingpain.com. With chronic pain, a persistent physical cause often cannot be determined.
“Chronic pain can be caused by muscle tension, changes in circulation, postural imbalances, psychological distress and neurological changes,” Mr. Grant says on his site. “It is also known that unrelieved pain is associated with increased metabolic rate, spontaneous excitation of the central nervous system, changes in blood circulation to the brain and changes in the limbic-hypothalamic system,” the region of the brain that regulates emotions.
Dr. Schneider, the author of “Living With Chronic Pain” (Healthy Living Books, Hatherleigh Press, 2004), is a specialist in pain management in Tucson, Ariz. In her book, she points out that the nervous system is responsible for the two major types of chronic pain.
One, called nociceptive pain, “arises from injury to muscles, tendons and ligaments or in the internal organs,” she writes. Undamaged nerve cells responding to an injury outside themselves transmit pain signals to the spinal cord and then to the brain. The resulting pain is usually described as deep and throbbing. Examples include chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, headaches, interstitial cystitis and chronic pelvic pain.
The second type, neuropathic pain, “results from abnormal nerve function or direct damage to a nerve.” Among the causes are shingles, diabetic neuropathy, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, phantom limb pain, radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and spinal cord injury.
The damaged nerve fibers “can fire spontaneously, both at the site of the injury and at other places along the nerve pathway” and “can continue indefinitely even after the source of the injury has stopped sending pain messages,” Dr. Schneider writes.
“Neuropathic pain can be constant or intermittent, burning, aching, shooting or stabbing, and it sometimes radiates down the arms or legs,” she adds. This kind of pain tends “to involve exaggerated responses to painful stimuli, spread of pain to areas that were not initially painful, and sensations of pain in response to normally nonpainful stimuli such as light touch.” It is often worse at night and may involve abnormal sensations like tingling, pins and needles, and intense itching.
Some chronic pain syndromes involve both nociceptive and neuropathic pain. A common example is sciatica; a pinched nerve causes back pain that radiates down the leg. In some cases, the pain of sciatica is not felt in the back but only in the leg, making the cause difficult to diagnose without an M.R.I.
Beyond Physical Problems
The consequences of chronic pain typically extend well beyond the discomfort from the sensation of pain itself. Dr. Schneider lists these potential physical effects: poor wound healing, weakness and muscle breakdown, decreased movement that can lead to blood clots, shallow breathing and suppressed coughing that raise the risk of pneumonia, sodium and water retention in the kidneys, raised heart rate and blood pressure, weakened immune system, a slowing of gastrointestinal motility, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite and weight, and fatigue.
But that is hardly the end of it. The psychological and social consequences of chronic pain can be enormous. Unremitting pain can rob a person of the ability to enjoy life, maintain important relationships, fulfill spousal and parental responsibilities, perform well at a job or work at all.
The economic burdens can be severe, especially when the patient is the primary breadwinner or holds a job that provides the family’s health insurance. Only about half of patients with chronic pain “who undergo comprehensive multidisciplinary pain rehabilitation are able to return to work,” Dr. Schneider reports.
As for the notion that chronic pain patients are often malingering — seeking attention and escape from responsibilities — pain specialists say that is nonsense. No one in his right mind — and most patients were in their right minds before the pain began — would trade a fulfilling life for the misery of chronic pain.
* Sign In to E-Mail or Save This
* Reprints
Article Tools Sponsored By
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: November 6, 2007
Pain, especially pain that doesn’t quit, changes a person. And rarely for the better. The initial reaction to serious pain is usually fear (what is wrong with me, and is it curable?), but pain that fails to respond to treatment leads to anxiety, depression, anger and irritability.
Skip to next paragraph
Stuart Bradford
At age 29, Walter, a computer programmer in Silicon Valley, developed a repetitive stress injury that caused severe pain in his hands when he touched the keyboard. The injury did not respond to rest. The pain became worse, spreading to his shoulders, neck and back.
Unable to work, lift, carry or squeeze anything without enduring days of crippling pain, Walter could no longer drive, open a jar or even sign his name.
“At age 29, I was on Social Security disability, basically confined to home, and my life seemed to be over,” Walter recalls in “Living With Chronic Pain,” by Dr. Jennifer Schneider. Severely depressed, he wonders whether his life is worth living.
Yet, despite his limited mobility and the pain-induced frown lines in his face, to look at Walter is to see a strapping, healthy young man. It is hard to tell that he, or any other person beset with chronic pain, is suffering as much as he says he is.
Pain is an invisible, subjective symptom. The body of a chronic pain sufferer — someone with fibromyalgia, for example, or back pain — usually appears intact. There are no objective tests to detect pain or measure its intensity. You just have to take a person’s word for it.
Nearly 10 percent of people in the United States suffer from moderate to severe chronic pain, and the prevalence increases with age. Complete relief from chronic pain is rare even with the best treatment, which is itself a rarity. Doctors and patients alike, who misunderstand the effects of narcotics, are too often reluctant to use drugs like opioids, which can relieve acute, as well as chronic, pain and may head off the development of a chronic pain syndrome.
Why Pain Persists
The problems with chronic pain are that it never really ends and does not always respond to treatment. If the pain initially was caused by an injury or illness, it can persist long after the injury has healed or the illness defeated because permanent changes have occurred in the body.
Mark Grant, a psychologist in Australia who specializes in managing chronic pain, says the notion that “physical injury equals pain” is overly simplistic. “We now know that pain is caused and maintained by a combination of physical, psychological and neurological factors,” Mr. Grant writes on his Web site, www.overcomingpain.com. With chronic pain, a persistent physical cause often cannot be determined.
“Chronic pain can be caused by muscle tension, changes in circulation, postural imbalances, psychological distress and neurological changes,” Mr. Grant says on his site. “It is also known that unrelieved pain is associated with increased metabolic rate, spontaneous excitation of the central nervous system, changes in blood circulation to the brain and changes in the limbic-hypothalamic system,” the region of the brain that regulates emotions.
Dr. Schneider, the author of “Living With Chronic Pain” (Healthy Living Books, Hatherleigh Press, 2004), is a specialist in pain management in Tucson, Ariz. In her book, she points out that the nervous system is responsible for the two major types of chronic pain.
One, called nociceptive pain, “arises from injury to muscles, tendons and ligaments or in the internal organs,” she writes. Undamaged nerve cells responding to an injury outside themselves transmit pain signals to the spinal cord and then to the brain. The resulting pain is usually described as deep and throbbing. Examples include chronic low back pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, headaches, interstitial cystitis and chronic pelvic pain.
The second type, neuropathic pain, “results from abnormal nerve function or direct damage to a nerve.” Among the causes are shingles, diabetic neuropathy, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, phantom limb pain, radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and spinal cord injury.
The damaged nerve fibers “can fire spontaneously, both at the site of the injury and at other places along the nerve pathway” and “can continue indefinitely even after the source of the injury has stopped sending pain messages,” Dr. Schneider writes.
“Neuropathic pain can be constant or intermittent, burning, aching, shooting or stabbing, and it sometimes radiates down the arms or legs,” she adds. This kind of pain tends “to involve exaggerated responses to painful stimuli, spread of pain to areas that were not initially painful, and sensations of pain in response to normally nonpainful stimuli such as light touch.” It is often worse at night and may involve abnormal sensations like tingling, pins and needles, and intense itching.
Some chronic pain syndromes involve both nociceptive and neuropathic pain. A common example is sciatica; a pinched nerve causes back pain that radiates down the leg. In some cases, the pain of sciatica is not felt in the back but only in the leg, making the cause difficult to diagnose without an M.R.I.
Beyond Physical Problems
The consequences of chronic pain typically extend well beyond the discomfort from the sensation of pain itself. Dr. Schneider lists these potential physical effects: poor wound healing, weakness and muscle breakdown, decreased movement that can lead to blood clots, shallow breathing and suppressed coughing that raise the risk of pneumonia, sodium and water retention in the kidneys, raised heart rate and blood pressure, weakened immune system, a slowing of gastrointestinal motility, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite and weight, and fatigue.
But that is hardly the end of it. The psychological and social consequences of chronic pain can be enormous. Unremitting pain can rob a person of the ability to enjoy life, maintain important relationships, fulfill spousal and parental responsibilities, perform well at a job or work at all.
The economic burdens can be severe, especially when the patient is the primary breadwinner or holds a job that provides the family’s health insurance. Only about half of patients with chronic pain “who undergo comprehensive multidisciplinary pain rehabilitation are able to return to work,” Dr. Schneider reports.
As for the notion that chronic pain patients are often malingering — seeking attention and escape from responsibilities — pain specialists say that is nonsense. No one in his right mind — and most patients were in their right minds before the pain began — would trade a fulfilling life for the misery of chronic pain.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Other bad drivers
I really don't get it about California. Why does everyone have to be in such a damn hurry to get to where they are going? Do you know that when you drive like a maniac that you cause accidents and sometimes cause lives? All of these innocent people out on the roads, driving by the law and then someone comes weaving down the hwy, and bam, crashed into someone. I had a nightmare last night that I was on Hwy 80 and some jerk slammed into my car, pushing me into a pileup of cars, then pinning me in the car and I couldn't move. I woke up before finding out the rest - needless to say, I didnt' sleep so well after that :(
If you're not aware, when you leave the state of California and go into another state, driving is so much more relaxing and peaceful. This is true! I can prove it to you! Drive north on I-5 and cross the border into Oregon. Yes, you're still up in the mountains so driving is still risky but once you get down into Ashland, people are obeying the speed limit - what a concept!!! - and no one tail gates or flips you off when something is their fault. There are no mad drivers weaving in and out of traffic like maniacs. There are less crashes, more related to the weather and not bad drivers. I always look forward to driving up to Oregon for this very reason. The drive on the way back, however, is garenteed to put a frown on my face :( It's always a nightmare. One thing I can't stand in Calif., is these stupid drivers, usually older ladies, who cannot and refuse! to drive around a truck. And this is usually on the highway, where you have two lanes in each direction and they are in the fast lane and just sitting directly behind or right next to a truck, going the same speed as the truck, so below the speed limit. You can honk and scream and yell all that you want to but it does no good. These types of drivers should not be on the road! I would yank their licenses so fast if I were a cop or a judge. I really think someone should bring the idea of "Citizens Arrest" into the works.
For example, tonight on my way home. I stop at the stop sign, make a FULL stop because it's the law! and on the side of the incoming traffic is a car that just kinda rolls through the stop sign and then sorta stops out halfway in the middle of the intersection. I'm sitting in my car, with a frown and discusted look on my face - i then realized it was a cop! WTF??!! You have to follow the rules too buddy. Unless you're in an emergency and have your ligths on, you can't just roll through a stop sign. So if I could pull a citizens arrest, I would take pictures of the event happening, document the location, time and date and then bring the paperwork into my local police station. I think there should be something that allows us good, safe drivers to do this! Thats just my way of doing some wishful thinking.
And there should also be a way to report wrreckless drivers. YOu can report drunk drivers by calling 911. One time when I was driving home from Oregon, on I-5, a truck was speeding - and I mean going over 80, because I only wanted to get ahead of this bastard, so I had to go almost 90 mph just to get around him. Then he passed me again, almost side swiping me in the process and then almost tapping the front bumper of my car. I swear that time slowed down in that instant and I thought, I don't want to die this way! I thought what can I do about this: So I dialed the highway patrol number that I have in my cell and got a message saying for me to hold. I stayed on the phone (which I hate doing when I'm driving and I cannot wait for January when the new law about not driving with a cell phone in use comes into play) and I couldn't sit on hold forever so I hung up. What I ended up doing and I recommend you doing this if you are ever in a similiar situation, is to get all of the numbers off of the truck - and learn to write without looking at what you're writing - get the numbers off the cab most importantly but I know it's almost impossible to read the license attached to the cab, so get the one on the trailer. Also note the date, time, and where you are on a freeway or hwy. Get the name of the truck company and any other info that you can get. When I got home, I googled the truck company and on the website, got the email for phone for the CEO or manager or owner and filed a complaint. I had to do this with two different truck companies from that one trip and one of the companies, the guy I dealt with was very apologetic and said that the driver would be reprimanded right away. I dont know what actually happened to the driver but I at least felt relieved that someone was notified.
If you're not aware, when you leave the state of California and go into another state, driving is so much more relaxing and peaceful. This is true! I can prove it to you! Drive north on I-5 and cross the border into Oregon. Yes, you're still up in the mountains so driving is still risky but once you get down into Ashland, people are obeying the speed limit - what a concept!!! - and no one tail gates or flips you off when something is their fault. There are no mad drivers weaving in and out of traffic like maniacs. There are less crashes, more related to the weather and not bad drivers. I always look forward to driving up to Oregon for this very reason. The drive on the way back, however, is garenteed to put a frown on my face :( It's always a nightmare. One thing I can't stand in Calif., is these stupid drivers, usually older ladies, who cannot and refuse! to drive around a truck. And this is usually on the highway, where you have two lanes in each direction and they are in the fast lane and just sitting directly behind or right next to a truck, going the same speed as the truck, so below the speed limit. You can honk and scream and yell all that you want to but it does no good. These types of drivers should not be on the road! I would yank their licenses so fast if I were a cop or a judge. I really think someone should bring the idea of "Citizens Arrest" into the works.
For example, tonight on my way home. I stop at the stop sign, make a FULL stop because it's the law! and on the side of the incoming traffic is a car that just kinda rolls through the stop sign and then sorta stops out halfway in the middle of the intersection. I'm sitting in my car, with a frown and discusted look on my face - i then realized it was a cop! WTF??!! You have to follow the rules too buddy. Unless you're in an emergency and have your ligths on, you can't just roll through a stop sign. So if I could pull a citizens arrest, I would take pictures of the event happening, document the location, time and date and then bring the paperwork into my local police station. I think there should be something that allows us good, safe drivers to do this! Thats just my way of doing some wishful thinking.
And there should also be a way to report wrreckless drivers. YOu can report drunk drivers by calling 911. One time when I was driving home from Oregon, on I-5, a truck was speeding - and I mean going over 80, because I only wanted to get ahead of this bastard, so I had to go almost 90 mph just to get around him. Then he passed me again, almost side swiping me in the process and then almost tapping the front bumper of my car. I swear that time slowed down in that instant and I thought, I don't want to die this way! I thought what can I do about this: So I dialed the highway patrol number that I have in my cell and got a message saying for me to hold. I stayed on the phone (which I hate doing when I'm driving and I cannot wait for January when the new law about not driving with a cell phone in use comes into play) and I couldn't sit on hold forever so I hung up. What I ended up doing and I recommend you doing this if you are ever in a similiar situation, is to get all of the numbers off of the truck - and learn to write without looking at what you're writing - get the numbers off the cab most importantly but I know it's almost impossible to read the license attached to the cab, so get the one on the trailer. Also note the date, time, and where you are on a freeway or hwy. Get the name of the truck company and any other info that you can get. When I got home, I googled the truck company and on the website, got the email for phone for the CEO or manager or owner and filed a complaint. I had to do this with two different truck companies from that one trip and one of the companies, the guy I dealt with was very apologetic and said that the driver would be reprimanded right away. I dont know what actually happened to the driver but I at least felt relieved that someone was notified.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Brain-eating amoeba discovered in Lake Havasu
This is fucking scary! And I've been in Lake Havasue so many times!! Just glad its been a while!!
6 Die From Brain-Eating Amoeba in Lakes
By CHRIS KAHN, Associated Press Writer
Friday, September 28, 2007
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(09-28) 21:59 PDT PHOENIX, (AP) --
It sounds like science fiction but it's true: A killer amoeba living in lakes enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds until you die.
Even though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it's killed six boys and young men this year. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future.
"This is definitely something we need to track," said Michael Beach, a specialist in recreational waterborne illnesses for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better," Beach said. "In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."
According to the CDC, the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri (nuh-GLEER-ee-uh FOWL'-erh-eye) killed 23 people in the United States, from 1995 to 2004. This year health officials noticed a spike with six cases — three in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona. The CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s.
In Arizona, David Evans said nobody knew his son, Aaron, was infected with the amoeba until after the 14-year-old died on Sept. 17. At first, the teen seemed to be suffering from nothing more than a headache.
"We didn't know," Evans said. "And here I am: I come home and I'm burying him."
After doing more tests, doctors said Aaron probably picked up the amoeba a week before while swimming in the balmy shallows of Lake Havasu, a popular man-made lake on the Colorado River between Arizona and California.
Though infections tend to be found in southern states, Naegleria lives almost everywhere in lakes, hot springs, even dirty swimming pools, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment.
Beach said people become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom. If someone allows water to shoot up the nose — say, by doing a somersault in chest-deep water — the amoeba can latch onto the olfactory nerve.
The amoeba destroys tissue as it makes its way up into the brain, where it continues the damage, "basically feeding on the brain cells," Beach said.
People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers. In the later stages, they'll show signs of brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes, he said.
Once infected, most people have little chance of survival. Some drugs have stopped the amoeba in lab experiments, but people who have been attacked rarely survive, Beach said.
"Usually, from initial exposure it's fatal within two weeks," he said.
Researchers still have much to learn about Naegleria. They don't know why, for example, children are more likely to be infected, and boys are more often victims than girls.
"Boys tend to have more boisterous activities (in water), but we're not clear," Beach said.
In central Florida, authorities started an amoeba phone hot line advising people to avoid warm, standing water and areas with algae blooms. Texas health officials also have issued warnings.
People "seem to think that everything can be made safe, including any river, any creek, but that's just not the case," said Doug McBride, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Officials in the town of Lake Havasu City are discussing whether to take action. "Some folks think we should be putting up signs. Some people think we should close the lake," city spokesman Charlie Cassens said.
Beach cautioned that people shouldn't panic about the dangers of the brain-eating bug. Cases are still extremely rare considering the number of people swimming in lakes. The easiest way to prevent infection, Beach said, is to use nose clips when swimming or diving in fresh water.
"You'd have to have water going way up in your nose to begin with" to be infected, he said.
David Evans has tried to learn as much as possible about the amoeba over the past month. But it still doesn't make much sense to him. His family had gone to Lake Havasu countless times. Have people always been in danger? Did city officials know about the amoeba? Can they do anything to kill them off?
Evans lives within eyesight of the lake. Temperatures hover in the triple digits all summer, and like almost everyone else in this desert region, the Evanses look to the lake to cool off.
It was on David Evans' birthday Sept. 8 that he brought Aaron, his other two children, and his parents to Lake Havasu. They ate sandwiches and spent a few hours splashing around.
"For a week, everything was fine," Evans said.
Then Aaron got the headache that wouldn't go away. At the hospital, doctors first suspected meningitis. Aaron was rushed to another hospital in Las Vegas.
"He asked me at one time, 'Can I die from this?'" David Evans said. "We said, 'No, no.'"
On Sept. 17, Aaron stopped breathing as his father held him in his arms.
"He was brain dead," Evans said. Only later did doctors and the CDC determine that the boy had been infected with Naegleria.
"My kids won't ever swim on Lake Havasu again," he said.
___
On the Net:
More on the N. fowleri amoeba:
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/naegleria/factsht_naegleria.htm#what
6 Die From Brain-Eating Amoeba in Lakes
By CHRIS KAHN, Associated Press Writer
Friday, September 28, 2007
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(09-28) 21:59 PDT PHOENIX, (AP) --
It sounds like science fiction but it's true: A killer amoeba living in lakes enters the body through the nose and attacks the brain where it feeds until you die.
Even though encounters with the microscopic bug are extraordinarily rare, it's killed six boys and young men this year. The spike in cases has health officials concerned, and they are predicting more cases in the future.
"This is definitely something we need to track," said Michael Beach, a specialist in recreational waterborne illnesses for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"This is a heat-loving amoeba. As water temperatures go up, it does better," Beach said. "In future decades, as temperatures rise, we'd expect to see more cases."
According to the CDC, the amoeba called Naegleria fowleri (nuh-GLEER-ee-uh FOWL'-erh-eye) killed 23 people in the United States, from 1995 to 2004. This year health officials noticed a spike with six cases — three in Florida, two in Texas and one in Arizona. The CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s.
In Arizona, David Evans said nobody knew his son, Aaron, was infected with the amoeba until after the 14-year-old died on Sept. 17. At first, the teen seemed to be suffering from nothing more than a headache.
"We didn't know," Evans said. "And here I am: I come home and I'm burying him."
After doing more tests, doctors said Aaron probably picked up the amoeba a week before while swimming in the balmy shallows of Lake Havasu, a popular man-made lake on the Colorado River between Arizona and California.
Though infections tend to be found in southern states, Naegleria lives almost everywhere in lakes, hot springs, even dirty swimming pools, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment.
Beach said people become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom. If someone allows water to shoot up the nose — say, by doing a somersault in chest-deep water — the amoeba can latch onto the olfactory nerve.
The amoeba destroys tissue as it makes its way up into the brain, where it continues the damage, "basically feeding on the brain cells," Beach said.
People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers. In the later stages, they'll show signs of brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes, he said.
Once infected, most people have little chance of survival. Some drugs have stopped the amoeba in lab experiments, but people who have been attacked rarely survive, Beach said.
"Usually, from initial exposure it's fatal within two weeks," he said.
Researchers still have much to learn about Naegleria. They don't know why, for example, children are more likely to be infected, and boys are more often victims than girls.
"Boys tend to have more boisterous activities (in water), but we're not clear," Beach said.
In central Florida, authorities started an amoeba phone hot line advising people to avoid warm, standing water and areas with algae blooms. Texas health officials also have issued warnings.
People "seem to think that everything can be made safe, including any river, any creek, but that's just not the case," said Doug McBride, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Officials in the town of Lake Havasu City are discussing whether to take action. "Some folks think we should be putting up signs. Some people think we should close the lake," city spokesman Charlie Cassens said.
Beach cautioned that people shouldn't panic about the dangers of the brain-eating bug. Cases are still extremely rare considering the number of people swimming in lakes. The easiest way to prevent infection, Beach said, is to use nose clips when swimming or diving in fresh water.
"You'd have to have water going way up in your nose to begin with" to be infected, he said.
David Evans has tried to learn as much as possible about the amoeba over the past month. But it still doesn't make much sense to him. His family had gone to Lake Havasu countless times. Have people always been in danger? Did city officials know about the amoeba? Can they do anything to kill them off?
Evans lives within eyesight of the lake. Temperatures hover in the triple digits all summer, and like almost everyone else in this desert region, the Evanses look to the lake to cool off.
It was on David Evans' birthday Sept. 8 that he brought Aaron, his other two children, and his parents to Lake Havasu. They ate sandwiches and spent a few hours splashing around.
"For a week, everything was fine," Evans said.
Then Aaron got the headache that wouldn't go away. At the hospital, doctors first suspected meningitis. Aaron was rushed to another hospital in Las Vegas.
"He asked me at one time, 'Can I die from this?'" David Evans said. "We said, 'No, no.'"
On Sept. 17, Aaron stopped breathing as his father held him in his arms.
"He was brain dead," Evans said. Only later did doctors and the CDC determine that the boy had been infected with Naegleria.
"My kids won't ever swim on Lake Havasu again," he said.
___
On the Net:
More on the N. fowleri amoeba:
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/naegleria/factsht_naegleria.htm#what
Thursday, September 13, 2007
My new do!
So it was finally time to dye my hair red again! I'm trying a new brand, Garnier Fructise. Looks like it'll be brilliant enough. I can't for the life of me remember the coloring brand I used previously that just did not come out as bright red as it said it would on the box, so I had to do it over again with a semi-permanent red dye just to keep me happy temporarily. This weekend is my cousin Kitty's wedding so it's going to be a lot of fun with meeting lots of new people and lots of partying. Boy will I be tired!
I'm leaving the Bay Area Friday morning at 10am, so that I get up there relatively early, can unpack the car, get kitty settled in our room and take a nap and rest. Cocktails and appetizers are from 5:30-8pm at Jake's on the Lake - a restaurant/bar in Tahoe City. Then Sat at 3pm is the wedding with cocktails and the ceremony by the lake, then dinner at the club, Chamber's Landing, which I've never been to either. It's my moms' and my job to make the women's bathroom look nicer than it is - because the bathrooms available during the ceremony and cocktail hour before dinner will be the pool bathrooms, which are pretty dinky according to my mom who has already checked them out. So we're going to spruce them up a bit as much as possible. No need to on the guy's bathroom - I don't think men really care about things like that much.
Then Sunday is a very fancy (whatever that means) brunch that Noah (the groom), his parents are hosting at their place that they have rented in Tahoe Shores which is right next to Tahoe Tavern, where our cabin is. I know a lot of people then have to go home after that but I'm really excited for tommorrow because my brother is coming up as well and can stay until Tuesday, which is when I'm heading home anyway :) So yay! I didn't get to see him on his birthday because it was way too hot in San Marcos for me at the time so I'll get 4 whole days with him. Should be fun! Then we are hosting a Sunday evening BBQ at our cabin in Tahoe Tavern for anyone who is still there - we know for sure my aunt and uncle, Graham and Jill, maybe Kitty and Noah, but not sure of their plans, if they are going to leave right away on their honeymoon or wait.
So lots of fun things. There is also a big Bark Fest art show over at Squaw Village Sat and Sun so I'm going to try to go over on Sunday between brunch and dinner to check that out - supposed to be tons of artists that do all types of art with animals - mostly cats and dogs the brochure says but there may be other focal animals as well. Someday I want to do custom drawings of animals/pets for people and I also want to customize model horses - paint someone's horse onto a model horse. I've actually already done one so perfectly, my ex-friend JUanita, who recently disowned me as her ex-best friend - I had known her since the 1st grade and suddenly she went all psychotic on me and accused me of doing all kinds of things that I would never even do and distorted the facts and invented all of these lies about me and 'claimed' that she was going to tell everyone in the Bay Area horse world. Whatever. Go ahead and keep fabricating your little bullshit lies. You're only doing damage to yourself, obviously you've never been the real best friend that I really needed and you've been pretty flaky in the past as well and as I think back on it, I can definetly see some warning signs, which I had not ignored but instead just tucked into the back of my brain for safe keeping and future reference. So it was upsetting at first but then I was pretty strong and able to move past it pretty quickly and obviously she didn't get far if she at all went around telling people bullshit lies about me, because I've never heard about it again. But I had painted her horse onto a model and it was perfect. Then I gave it to her before taking a picture of it and asked her to take a pic and send it to me. That should have been one of my warning signs, when I kept asking her nicely to do it and she kept saying that she would and I never got a picture sent. And it wasn't like she didn't have any time to do that for me either.
So I have to start over and I need to scour the internet and find people who would be willing to give me their Breyer model horse lots for free or pretty cheap. Okay, time to go wash my hair out. Should be pretty cool this time and last pretty long. Because there's a lot of read in my hair anyway, when I color it, the color stays in pretty long, even after 3 months or so! I did do a bit too many things today, and pushed myself a bit too hard, but I hope that by getting plenty of sleep and rest and now that I'm on a regular routine of taking supplements morning and nighttime, that I can prevent a flare, since I just came off of one Wednesday which was for about a week.
I'm leaving the Bay Area Friday morning at 10am, so that I get up there relatively early, can unpack the car, get kitty settled in our room and take a nap and rest. Cocktails and appetizers are from 5:30-8pm at Jake's on the Lake - a restaurant/bar in Tahoe City. Then Sat at 3pm is the wedding with cocktails and the ceremony by the lake, then dinner at the club, Chamber's Landing, which I've never been to either. It's my moms' and my job to make the women's bathroom look nicer than it is - because the bathrooms available during the ceremony and cocktail hour before dinner will be the pool bathrooms, which are pretty dinky according to my mom who has already checked them out. So we're going to spruce them up a bit as much as possible. No need to on the guy's bathroom - I don't think men really care about things like that much.
Then Sunday is a very fancy (whatever that means) brunch that Noah (the groom), his parents are hosting at their place that they have rented in Tahoe Shores which is right next to Tahoe Tavern, where our cabin is. I know a lot of people then have to go home after that but I'm really excited for tommorrow because my brother is coming up as well and can stay until Tuesday, which is when I'm heading home anyway :) So yay! I didn't get to see him on his birthday because it was way too hot in San Marcos for me at the time so I'll get 4 whole days with him. Should be fun! Then we are hosting a Sunday evening BBQ at our cabin in Tahoe Tavern for anyone who is still there - we know for sure my aunt and uncle, Graham and Jill, maybe Kitty and Noah, but not sure of their plans, if they are going to leave right away on their honeymoon or wait.
So lots of fun things. There is also a big Bark Fest art show over at Squaw Village Sat and Sun so I'm going to try to go over on Sunday between brunch and dinner to check that out - supposed to be tons of artists that do all types of art with animals - mostly cats and dogs the brochure says but there may be other focal animals as well. Someday I want to do custom drawings of animals/pets for people and I also want to customize model horses - paint someone's horse onto a model horse. I've actually already done one so perfectly, my ex-friend JUanita, who recently disowned me as her ex-best friend - I had known her since the 1st grade and suddenly she went all psychotic on me and accused me of doing all kinds of things that I would never even do and distorted the facts and invented all of these lies about me and 'claimed' that she was going to tell everyone in the Bay Area horse world. Whatever. Go ahead and keep fabricating your little bullshit lies. You're only doing damage to yourself, obviously you've never been the real best friend that I really needed and you've been pretty flaky in the past as well and as I think back on it, I can definetly see some warning signs, which I had not ignored but instead just tucked into the back of my brain for safe keeping and future reference. So it was upsetting at first but then I was pretty strong and able to move past it pretty quickly and obviously she didn't get far if she at all went around telling people bullshit lies about me, because I've never heard about it again. But I had painted her horse onto a model and it was perfect. Then I gave it to her before taking a picture of it and asked her to take a pic and send it to me. That should have been one of my warning signs, when I kept asking her nicely to do it and she kept saying that she would and I never got a picture sent. And it wasn't like she didn't have any time to do that for me either.
So I have to start over and I need to scour the internet and find people who would be willing to give me their Breyer model horse lots for free or pretty cheap. Okay, time to go wash my hair out. Should be pretty cool this time and last pretty long. Because there's a lot of read in my hair anyway, when I color it, the color stays in pretty long, even after 3 months or so! I did do a bit too many things today, and pushed myself a bit too hard, but I hope that by getting plenty of sleep and rest and now that I'm on a regular routine of taking supplements morning and nighttime, that I can prevent a flare, since I just came off of one Wednesday which was for about a week.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Beware in 2008 of GE Sugar! Crap!
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SUGAR TO HIT STORES IN 2008
American Crystal, a large Wyoming-based sugar company, who ironically have launched an "organic" line of their sugar,and several other leading U.S. sugar providers have announced they will be sourcing their sugar from genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets beginning this year and arriving in stores in 2008. Like GE corn and GE soy, products containing GE sugar will not be labeled as such. Since half of the granulated sugar in the U.S. comes from sugar beets, a move towards biotech beets marks a dramatic alteration of the U.S. food supply. These sugars, along with GE corn and soy, are found in many conventional food products, so consumers will be exposed to genetically engineered ingredients in just about every non-organic multiple-ingredient product they purchase.
The GE sugar beet is designed to withstand strong doses of Monsanto's controversial broad spectrum Roundup herbicide. Studies indicate farmers planting "Roundup Ready" corn and soy spray large amounts of the herbicide, contaminating both soil and water. Farmers planting GE sugar beets are told they may be able to apply the herbicide up to five times per year. Sugar beets are grown on 1.4 million acres by 12,000 farmers in the U.S. from Oregon to Minnesota.
Meanwhile candy companies like Hershey's are urging farmers not to plant GE sugar beets, noting that consumer surveys suggest resistance to the product. In addition the European Union has not approved GE sugar beets for human consumption.
Take action now to stop Genetically Engineered Sugar:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_7031.cfm
I for one am a bit freaked out about this, but I'll know to read labels or just stick to the sugar I already buy, like Trader Joe's organic sugar. Why switch labels from something safe to something potentially scary and unhealthy? So be careful out there!!
American Crystal, a large Wyoming-based sugar company, who ironically have launched an "organic" line of their sugar,and several other leading U.S. sugar providers have announced they will be sourcing their sugar from genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets beginning this year and arriving in stores in 2008. Like GE corn and GE soy, products containing GE sugar will not be labeled as such. Since half of the granulated sugar in the U.S. comes from sugar beets, a move towards biotech beets marks a dramatic alteration of the U.S. food supply. These sugars, along with GE corn and soy, are found in many conventional food products, so consumers will be exposed to genetically engineered ingredients in just about every non-organic multiple-ingredient product they purchase.
The GE sugar beet is designed to withstand strong doses of Monsanto's controversial broad spectrum Roundup herbicide. Studies indicate farmers planting "Roundup Ready" corn and soy spray large amounts of the herbicide, contaminating both soil and water. Farmers planting GE sugar beets are told they may be able to apply the herbicide up to five times per year. Sugar beets are grown on 1.4 million acres by 12,000 farmers in the U.S. from Oregon to Minnesota.
Meanwhile candy companies like Hershey's are urging farmers not to plant GE sugar beets, noting that consumer surveys suggest resistance to the product. In addition the European Union has not approved GE sugar beets for human consumption.
Take action now to stop Genetically Engineered Sugar:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_7031.cfm
I for one am a bit freaked out about this, but I'll know to read labels or just stick to the sugar I already buy, like Trader Joe's organic sugar. Why switch labels from something safe to something potentially scary and unhealthy? So be careful out there!!
Cool lava tubes accessable in and around Mt. St. Helens :)
CRAIG HILL; The News Tribune
Published: August 30th, 2007 06:52 AM
Enlarge image
RUSS CARMACK/The News Tribune
A father-son outing takes John Leischner of Selah and 9-year-old Ryan to Boulder Cave.
Enlarge image
Devils Creek waterfall flows at the cave’s entrance.
Enlarge image
Observation decks dot Boulder Cave’s.
Kids love caves. Bats, bears, Batman. No telling what you’ll find in a cave.
That’s precisely why every year Teresa Vickel of Yakima and her friends take their kids to Boulder Cave near Chinook Pass.
“The kids love the idea of exploring a cave,” Vickel said as she entered the cave. “And the parents think it’s pretty cool, too.”
Doug Jenkins of the Naches Ranger District has hiked through the 200-foot tunnel dozens of times.
“The kids are always saying, ‘Maybe I’ll see a bat,’” Jenkins said. “And when they get in the middle of the cave where it is really dark, they try to scare each other.
“Plus, I think people just think it’s a unique experience to walk in one end of a cave and out the other.”
Boulder Cave is one of just a handful of easily accessed caves in the Cascades and one of only four you can actually explore.
And, fortunately for children, all the caves are family friendly.
Each trip requires a $5 Northwest Forest Pass per vehicle. The passes are available at ranger stations and online at nwpubliclands.org. Don’t forget your flashlight.
Brave the caves: Five to explore
APE CAVE
This 2 1/4-mile lava tube is the king of Washington caves. Formed by an eruption 2,000 years ago, Ape Cave is the only one of the more than 50 lava tubes around Mount St. Helens that can be visited without special permission.
The cave can provide an adventure for your kids, regardless of their age and durability. The lower cave is an easy walk and can be accessed by a staircase near the parking lot. If you are looking for a hardier challenge, you can walk the length of the cave, scrambling over large rock piles as you go.
Forest rangers recommend 21/2 hours to explore the entire cave. If you go, rangers suggest taking three light sources and spare batteries. Sturdy shoes, warm clothes and a helmet are also recommended.
Hiking distance: Up to four miles.
Directions: Follow Highway 503 through Cougar and continue on Forest Service Road 90. Seven miles past Cougar, turn left on FS Road 83. After two more miles, turn left on FS Road 8303 and continue to the trailhead.
Info: Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, 1-360-247-3900.
BIG FOUR ICE CAVES
These caves are a popular family destination most of the time, but if your children aren’t nimble you might want to store it away for next summer. Last winter’s flooding washed out the bridge over the Stillaguamish River, leaving just a log for visitors to scurry across.
“It’s OK for older kids, teenagers,” said Diane Boyd of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. “I’ve seen young kids up there, but we are not recommending it right now.”
Boyd says the bridge likely won’t be fixed until next year.
The caves are carved under the snow banks of Big Four Mountain by wind and water each summer.
But there’s one big catch to enjoying these caves. You can’t go inside.
“It’s not safe,” Boyd said. “They are natural, and they naturally collapse every year. People have been killed in the ice cave.
“You can enjoy the caves without going in.”
Hiking distance: Two miles.
Directions: From Granite Falls, turn left on Mountain Loop Highway and continue through Verlot. Find the trailhead about 14 miles past Verlot.
Info: Darrington Ranger District, 360-691-7791.
BOULDER CAVE
Not only does Boulder Cave draw hiking families, but also it’s popular with bats.
Don’t expect to see any bats on your trip. The crush of people exploring the 200-foot-long cave each summer keeps the bats in hiding. But in the winter the bats – about 65 – return. The cave is closed Nov. 1 to April 1 to protect them.
Jenkins of the Naches Ranger District says visitors should stay on the trail in the cave and not explore its chambers. He also recommends good shoes, especially if you are going to explore Devils Creek, which runs through the cave all the way to the parking area.
There is a flat, natural waterslide in the creek below the caves and a small waterfall above the cave.
“It’s a perfect little playground for kids,” Teresa Vickel of Yakima said.
But be careful, Jenkins said. Some visitors have thrown glass bottles in the creek from the cliffs overlooking the gorge. “I definitely wouldn’t go in the creek with bare feet,” Jenkins said. He also urges parents to keep their children from climbing on the rocks in the caves and from getting too close to the edge of the cliff along the trail approaching the cave.
Hiking distance: 1.5 miles.
Directions: Follow Highway 410 over Chinook Pass. Turn south at the Boulder Cave sign between Mileposts 95 and 96 and continue to the trailhead at Boulder Cave Campground.
Info: Naches Ranger District, 1-509-653-1400.
ICE CAVE
This is a lava tube formed by an ancient eruption of Mount Adams. Ice forms in the cave each year, leaving huge frozen stalactites and stalagmites and a chilly place for children to play.
A staircase accesses the cave.
“It’s a neat place for kids as long as you don’t let them climb down into the second part of the lava tube,” said Gerry Harding, a Gifford Pinchot National Forest ranger. “You should have a hard hat and a flashlight to go in there.”
Another nearby cave experience is the Natural Bridges. There isn’t a cave here anymore, but this ancient lava tube has collapsed, leaving two natural bridges.
“Kids like walking across the bridges,” Harding said. “Most people visit the caves and the bridges on the same trip.”
Hiking distance: 1/4 mile for each.
Directions: Follow Highway 141 through Trout Lake as the road turns to Forest Service Road 24. Six miles past Trout Lake turn left on Road 301 and continue to the trailhead.
Info: Mount Adams Ranger District, 1-509-395-3400.
LAYSER CAVE
This small cave was discovered 25 years ago by ranger Tim Layser while he was working in Gifford Pinchot National Forest near Randle. But this cave is not new.
Scientists found stone tools and animal bones in the cave. They believe the cave was used as a shelter and to store meat for more than 7,000 years.
The cave is only 32 feet deep and easy enough to explore without a flashlight.
The short trail and the cave entrance have interpretive signs that supply more history on the cave.
Hiking distance: 450 yards.
Directions: From U.S. 12 in Randle, turn south on Highway 131. After a mile, turn left at the sign for the Cispus Center. After seven miles turn left at the Layser Cave sign and continue up the short, steep dirt road to the trailhead.
Info: Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, 1-360-497-1100.
Published: August 30th, 2007 06:52 AM
Enlarge image
RUSS CARMACK/The News Tribune
A father-son outing takes John Leischner of Selah and 9-year-old Ryan to Boulder Cave.
Enlarge image
Devils Creek waterfall flows at the cave’s entrance.
Enlarge image
Observation decks dot Boulder Cave’s.
Kids love caves. Bats, bears, Batman. No telling what you’ll find in a cave.
That’s precisely why every year Teresa Vickel of Yakima and her friends take their kids to Boulder Cave near Chinook Pass.
“The kids love the idea of exploring a cave,” Vickel said as she entered the cave. “And the parents think it’s pretty cool, too.”
Doug Jenkins of the Naches Ranger District has hiked through the 200-foot tunnel dozens of times.
“The kids are always saying, ‘Maybe I’ll see a bat,’” Jenkins said. “And when they get in the middle of the cave where it is really dark, they try to scare each other.
“Plus, I think people just think it’s a unique experience to walk in one end of a cave and out the other.”
Boulder Cave is one of just a handful of easily accessed caves in the Cascades and one of only four you can actually explore.
And, fortunately for children, all the caves are family friendly.
Each trip requires a $5 Northwest Forest Pass per vehicle. The passes are available at ranger stations and online at nwpubliclands.org. Don’t forget your flashlight.
Brave the caves: Five to explore
APE CAVE
This 2 1/4-mile lava tube is the king of Washington caves. Formed by an eruption 2,000 years ago, Ape Cave is the only one of the more than 50 lava tubes around Mount St. Helens that can be visited without special permission.
The cave can provide an adventure for your kids, regardless of their age and durability. The lower cave is an easy walk and can be accessed by a staircase near the parking lot. If you are looking for a hardier challenge, you can walk the length of the cave, scrambling over large rock piles as you go.
Forest rangers recommend 21/2 hours to explore the entire cave. If you go, rangers suggest taking three light sources and spare batteries. Sturdy shoes, warm clothes and a helmet are also recommended.
Hiking distance: Up to four miles.
Directions: Follow Highway 503 through Cougar and continue on Forest Service Road 90. Seven miles past Cougar, turn left on FS Road 83. After two more miles, turn left on FS Road 8303 and continue to the trailhead.
Info: Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, 1-360-247-3900.
BIG FOUR ICE CAVES
These caves are a popular family destination most of the time, but if your children aren’t nimble you might want to store it away for next summer. Last winter’s flooding washed out the bridge over the Stillaguamish River, leaving just a log for visitors to scurry across.
“It’s OK for older kids, teenagers,” said Diane Boyd of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. “I’ve seen young kids up there, but we are not recommending it right now.”
Boyd says the bridge likely won’t be fixed until next year.
The caves are carved under the snow banks of Big Four Mountain by wind and water each summer.
But there’s one big catch to enjoying these caves. You can’t go inside.
“It’s not safe,” Boyd said. “They are natural, and they naturally collapse every year. People have been killed in the ice cave.
“You can enjoy the caves without going in.”
Hiking distance: Two miles.
Directions: From Granite Falls, turn left on Mountain Loop Highway and continue through Verlot. Find the trailhead about 14 miles past Verlot.
Info: Darrington Ranger District, 360-691-7791.
BOULDER CAVE
Not only does Boulder Cave draw hiking families, but also it’s popular with bats.
Don’t expect to see any bats on your trip. The crush of people exploring the 200-foot-long cave each summer keeps the bats in hiding. But in the winter the bats – about 65 – return. The cave is closed Nov. 1 to April 1 to protect them.
Jenkins of the Naches Ranger District says visitors should stay on the trail in the cave and not explore its chambers. He also recommends good shoes, especially if you are going to explore Devils Creek, which runs through the cave all the way to the parking area.
There is a flat, natural waterslide in the creek below the caves and a small waterfall above the cave.
“It’s a perfect little playground for kids,” Teresa Vickel of Yakima said.
But be careful, Jenkins said. Some visitors have thrown glass bottles in the creek from the cliffs overlooking the gorge. “I definitely wouldn’t go in the creek with bare feet,” Jenkins said. He also urges parents to keep their children from climbing on the rocks in the caves and from getting too close to the edge of the cliff along the trail approaching the cave.
Hiking distance: 1.5 miles.
Directions: Follow Highway 410 over Chinook Pass. Turn south at the Boulder Cave sign between Mileposts 95 and 96 and continue to the trailhead at Boulder Cave Campground.
Info: Naches Ranger District, 1-509-653-1400.
ICE CAVE
This is a lava tube formed by an ancient eruption of Mount Adams. Ice forms in the cave each year, leaving huge frozen stalactites and stalagmites and a chilly place for children to play.
A staircase accesses the cave.
“It’s a neat place for kids as long as you don’t let them climb down into the second part of the lava tube,” said Gerry Harding, a Gifford Pinchot National Forest ranger. “You should have a hard hat and a flashlight to go in there.”
Another nearby cave experience is the Natural Bridges. There isn’t a cave here anymore, but this ancient lava tube has collapsed, leaving two natural bridges.
“Kids like walking across the bridges,” Harding said. “Most people visit the caves and the bridges on the same trip.”
Hiking distance: 1/4 mile for each.
Directions: Follow Highway 141 through Trout Lake as the road turns to Forest Service Road 24. Six miles past Trout Lake turn left on Road 301 and continue to the trailhead.
Info: Mount Adams Ranger District, 1-509-395-3400.
LAYSER CAVE
This small cave was discovered 25 years ago by ranger Tim Layser while he was working in Gifford Pinchot National Forest near Randle. But this cave is not new.
Scientists found stone tools and animal bones in the cave. They believe the cave was used as a shelter and to store meat for more than 7,000 years.
The cave is only 32 feet deep and easy enough to explore without a flashlight.
The short trail and the cave entrance have interpretive signs that supply more history on the cave.
Hiking distance: 450 yards.
Directions: From U.S. 12 in Randle, turn south on Highway 131. After a mile, turn left at the sign for the Cispus Center. After seven miles turn left at the Layser Cave sign and continue up the short, steep dirt road to the trailhead.
Info: Cowlitz Valley Ranger District, 1-360-497-1100.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
medicare prescription drug rant
So regarding Medicare, I'm wondering who else here is in the same boat that I am in - meaning, you don't pay a premium for Medicare and you don't have to deal with the Donut Hole issue. In other words, just last month I suddenly was no longer paying for many of my prescriptions. particularly my triplicates - the Percocet and MS Contin are now free and the others: Soma, Ultram ER etc are still $3.15 or so. My question is, has anyone experienced any kind of limit put on their medication in the last month. I just went to get my MS Contin refill last week and I was going to run out by today but didn't think there would be a problem. But suddenly after having taken MS Contin since March of this year, it was suddenly a problem for Medicare to pay for it. They are now limiting me to 120 pills instead of 180 (I don't need 180 but my doctor wants me to have as big of a stockpile of meds as I can, so the extra amount is always a good help for that). AND on top of that, they suddenly had a problem with it having to be brand. Well, sorry, but generics for my pills that count - the heavy pain killers, don't do jack for me so I can only take brand. And why is there suddenly an issue. Of course, my doctor's office was supposed to take care of this for me and when I called on Monday they still hadn't, even though I said I was going to run out on Tuesday. I ended up calling AARP who I have my prescription plan through and fixing the problem myself, so I just picked up 120 pills with teh brand name. But the woman said they had just put a limit on the medication, but couldnt' tell me exactly why. It would be great if they could put out some kind of notice, telling you that now these drugs on this list now have certain limitations, etc.
Another problem that we just discovered, is that when I finally had my disability for a year and got my Medicare, in august of 06, no one told me that if I had other insurance, I needed to call them and switch that insurance over to a supplemental insurance. No one told me I had a 3 month limit and in that amount of time, that was what needed to be done. Well shit! My mom called Blue Cross yesterday because every two months - when my dad pays my bill - the price keeps going up and up, for no particular reason at all. I dont' want to lose Blue Cross as my alternative back up insurance because one day I plan to not need Medicare anymore and if I go away from Blue Cross, I'll never be able to get it again and it might be nearly impossible for me to get any type of insurance on my own, because of my pre-existing conditions. So my mom calls to see what the deal is and the guy is so rude, talking so fast and eating his lunch while he's talking, making these gross chewing noises. Gees! What is wrong with people?? So she finally finds out that this needed to happen a year ago and that I'm basically shit out of luck - meaning that if I switch Blue Cross to be my supplemental insurance, that I won't have prescription coverage for 3 months, until january. Now, yes Medicare pays most of my prescriptions, except one - my Klonopin - this is not a med that I can change, as others like it have not worked the same way. The problem is that I can't get it refilled until the 19th of Sept and I only get #30 a month, so I'm hoping that if I explain the situation to my doctor, he can tweak my prescription and write it for at least double the amount. I use it to sleep and also when I'm having panic attacks and really bad days. So I don't take it too often but I can't not have it around as it is a great lifesaver when I do need it.
I just don't get the system at all. But I think what we're going to do is just wait until I can get my Klonopin refill on the 19th, then when my parents are back from Tahoe on the 24th, my mom will call and get Blue CRoss switched to supplemental so the bill for over $400 which is due Oct 10th, doesn't have to be paid. I hate that I can't pay it myself but my parents swore that their kids would always have insurance, because it's one thing that is pretty hard to get once you've lost it.
I still can't afford to get Actiq, the drug that would normally keep me out of the ER when I flare up pretty severely, I have one left! Blue CRoss no longer covers it - I used to be able to get it from them at $10 a pop. But Medicare says they won't pay for it for me because it's prescribed mainly to people with cancer. What a bunch of bullshit!?! My pain is certainly at the cancer pain level, if not higher at times. (I'm not trying to compare myself to someone else) - but....come on! What the fuck?? I'm so pissed and ticked off that me as a pain patient is being denied certain medications that could save me from much sufferign, because the makers of Actiq won't add chronic pain to their list of uses for the drug. Actiq is Fentanyl, but I can't use it in the patch form, unfortunately - makes me severely nauseous even at the lowest dose. But the lozenge pops are wonderful! If I had to pay out of pocket, which I did once when I got my workman's comp money - I bought 30 pops for over $2000. It was insane! I think I would have to pay $40 a piece for them or something ridiculous like that. And the company used to have a advocate system that would help you appeal to your insurance if they weren't willing to pay for it for a chronic pain condition but the 800# no longer works or is out of service and you can't get anywhere online. We definetly need more advocates to help us - especially since I can't tolerate the stress involved in dealing with insurance companies and certain doctors, etc. I mean, we have advocates to help you when applying for SSI and SSDI but not for getting medications and dealing with insurance?? How does that make sense?
Anyway, that's my rant for the day.
Another problem that we just discovered, is that when I finally had my disability for a year and got my Medicare, in august of 06, no one told me that if I had other insurance, I needed to call them and switch that insurance over to a supplemental insurance. No one told me I had a 3 month limit and in that amount of time, that was what needed to be done. Well shit! My mom called Blue Cross yesterday because every two months - when my dad pays my bill - the price keeps going up and up, for no particular reason at all. I dont' want to lose Blue Cross as my alternative back up insurance because one day I plan to not need Medicare anymore and if I go away from Blue Cross, I'll never be able to get it again and it might be nearly impossible for me to get any type of insurance on my own, because of my pre-existing conditions. So my mom calls to see what the deal is and the guy is so rude, talking so fast and eating his lunch while he's talking, making these gross chewing noises. Gees! What is wrong with people?? So she finally finds out that this needed to happen a year ago and that I'm basically shit out of luck - meaning that if I switch Blue Cross to be my supplemental insurance, that I won't have prescription coverage for 3 months, until january. Now, yes Medicare pays most of my prescriptions, except one - my Klonopin - this is not a med that I can change, as others like it have not worked the same way. The problem is that I can't get it refilled until the 19th of Sept and I only get #30 a month, so I'm hoping that if I explain the situation to my doctor, he can tweak my prescription and write it for at least double the amount. I use it to sleep and also when I'm having panic attacks and really bad days. So I don't take it too often but I can't not have it around as it is a great lifesaver when I do need it.
I just don't get the system at all. But I think what we're going to do is just wait until I can get my Klonopin refill on the 19th, then when my parents are back from Tahoe on the 24th, my mom will call and get Blue CRoss switched to supplemental so the bill for over $400 which is due Oct 10th, doesn't have to be paid. I hate that I can't pay it myself but my parents swore that their kids would always have insurance, because it's one thing that is pretty hard to get once you've lost it.
I still can't afford to get Actiq, the drug that would normally keep me out of the ER when I flare up pretty severely, I have one left! Blue CRoss no longer covers it - I used to be able to get it from them at $10 a pop. But Medicare says they won't pay for it for me because it's prescribed mainly to people with cancer. What a bunch of bullshit!?! My pain is certainly at the cancer pain level, if not higher at times. (I'm not trying to compare myself to someone else) - but....come on! What the fuck?? I'm so pissed and ticked off that me as a pain patient is being denied certain medications that could save me from much sufferign, because the makers of Actiq won't add chronic pain to their list of uses for the drug. Actiq is Fentanyl, but I can't use it in the patch form, unfortunately - makes me severely nauseous even at the lowest dose. But the lozenge pops are wonderful! If I had to pay out of pocket, which I did once when I got my workman's comp money - I bought 30 pops for over $2000. It was insane! I think I would have to pay $40 a piece for them or something ridiculous like that. And the company used to have a advocate system that would help you appeal to your insurance if they weren't willing to pay for it for a chronic pain condition but the 800# no longer works or is out of service and you can't get anywhere online. We definetly need more advocates to help us - especially since I can't tolerate the stress involved in dealing with insurance companies and certain doctors, etc. I mean, we have advocates to help you when applying for SSI and SSDI but not for getting medications and dealing with insurance?? How does that make sense?
Anyway, that's my rant for the day.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Please do the dishes - parents don't get it!
So I'm sick of my parents, mainly my mother, not getting that when I'm flaring and yes I've told her/him which specific body parts are currently killing me - tonight happens to be that I have these huge bundles of knots in either shoulder, up on top of the blade and it's the same muscle that goes down along either side of my spine and back up my neck to my head. The knots and muscles will not relax, some heat is helping but nothing else is working - my Soma is just making me sleepy and at least I got a nap in before bed.
But before dinner, I told them both what was going on because they don't get it when I say that I'm 'flaring'. That should be an indication that I'm in more pain than normal - I feel like they just ignore the reality of my situation and go about their lives with no concern about mine. The only thing my mom did today was offer me to heat up a shoulder wrap but then after dinner, I'm nauseous, on the couch with a ice pack and bundled up, not moving - my says, good night and oh by the way, I hope you won't be surprised that we're leaving you the dishes to do! What the fuck??! I think. What part of my shoulders and neck are killing me and why can't she connect the dots and know that my shouders are connected to my arms and those aren't working right because of the pain in my shoulders?? Now you're expecting me to be able to do the dishes, which involves lifting pretty heavy plates and hot water and greasy food. Sounds exactly like what I want to be doing on top of my pain. I'm just astonished. I don't understand at all why two very abled human beings can't take over chores like dishes from someone who normally does them (yes, I usually do the dishes but NOT when i'm hurting so much!). Do I really need to make a list of all of the things I shouldn't be doing when I'm in any kind of pain that is above normal? I guess so! I just don't know what to do anymore! I'm sick of this bullshit!
So if any fibro people have any suggestions for dealing with parents, please fill me in. Yes, I still live with my parents - moved home two summers ago after having lived with my boyfriend for 3 years - he's up in Oregon now and it sucks but this is what I needed at the tiem. I'm seriously looking into moving to the Portland area now, as I'm one of the few lucky Fibro people who can actually stand the cold AND I do better with cold weather and rain. I can't stand and I actually get sick now from the heat + humidity or mugginess, which we've been having here in sucky California - yes, I hate this state now. I dont' want to live here anymore, I want to be where it is green all the time and I don't have to make an effort to stay out of the sun much and people are nice :) But in the meantime, I still have ot deal with my non-understanding conditionally loving parents - who of course would deny not loving me unconditionally but it's true, that they do love under their rules, their conditions, when I'm in their home. It's stressful and it sucks and my only positive result is that they are gone at least one week each month, sometimes longer, so I get the house to myself very often. That is my trade off for the time being. Come beginning of the new year of 2008, I will be taking a trip to Portland to check it out, hang out with old friends who are there now and seeing where I can move to.
But before dinner, I told them both what was going on because they don't get it when I say that I'm 'flaring'. That should be an indication that I'm in more pain than normal - I feel like they just ignore the reality of my situation and go about their lives with no concern about mine. The only thing my mom did today was offer me to heat up a shoulder wrap but then after dinner, I'm nauseous, on the couch with a ice pack and bundled up, not moving - my says, good night and oh by the way, I hope you won't be surprised that we're leaving you the dishes to do! What the fuck??! I think. What part of my shoulders and neck are killing me and why can't she connect the dots and know that my shouders are connected to my arms and those aren't working right because of the pain in my shoulders?? Now you're expecting me to be able to do the dishes, which involves lifting pretty heavy plates and hot water and greasy food. Sounds exactly like what I want to be doing on top of my pain. I'm just astonished. I don't understand at all why two very abled human beings can't take over chores like dishes from someone who normally does them (yes, I usually do the dishes but NOT when i'm hurting so much!). Do I really need to make a list of all of the things I shouldn't be doing when I'm in any kind of pain that is above normal? I guess so! I just don't know what to do anymore! I'm sick of this bullshit!
So if any fibro people have any suggestions for dealing with parents, please fill me in. Yes, I still live with my parents - moved home two summers ago after having lived with my boyfriend for 3 years - he's up in Oregon now and it sucks but this is what I needed at the tiem. I'm seriously looking into moving to the Portland area now, as I'm one of the few lucky Fibro people who can actually stand the cold AND I do better with cold weather and rain. I can't stand and I actually get sick now from the heat + humidity or mugginess, which we've been having here in sucky California - yes, I hate this state now. I dont' want to live here anymore, I want to be where it is green all the time and I don't have to make an effort to stay out of the sun much and people are nice :) But in the meantime, I still have ot deal with my non-understanding conditionally loving parents - who of course would deny not loving me unconditionally but it's true, that they do love under their rules, their conditions, when I'm in their home. It's stressful and it sucks and my only positive result is that they are gone at least one week each month, sometimes longer, so I get the house to myself very often. That is my trade off for the time being. Come beginning of the new year of 2008, I will be taking a trip to Portland to check it out, hang out with old friends who are there now and seeing where I can move to.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
New Great White Shark at Monterey - yay!!!!
I'm so happy to read that Monterey Bay Aquarium has a great white again. I saw their last one and he was a cutie! This one is about the same size I think and hopefully will be staying in residence for a while. A good excuse to get off my butt and drive down there for a day visit, since I am a member and can get in for free and it takes my mind off of my pain :) I love the sharkies :)
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For only the third time since 2004, we have a young white shark [Online Field Guide] in the Outer Bay exhibit. He arrived on August 28, and will remain in the million-gallon exhibit as long as he's in good health and hasn't grown too large for us to return safely to the wild.
Like our first shark in 2004, he was caught accidentally in commercial fishing gear. Like our second shark in 2006, he's a young male: just 4-feet, 9-inches long and weighing 67 ½ pounds. As with both of the other young white sharks, he was kept in an ocean holding pen off Malibu in Southern California until we observed him feeding and navigating well in the confines of the pen.
Our first shark was with us for 6 � months; our second, for 4 � months. Both were successfully returned to the wild, and the tracking tags they carried documented their journeys back in the ocean. We've tagged 10 other young sharks in the wild in Southern California waters as part of our white shark field project, and support research to track the migrations of adult white sharks tagged off the Farallon Islands and Point A�o Nuevo on California's central coast.
You can meet the white shark in person when you visit, or try to spot him on our Outer Bay Cam as he swims in the exhibit. We'll post regular online updates on how he's doing.
Why White Sharks Need Our Help
Why White Sharks Need Our Help
Overfishing, trophy hunting, habitat destruction—all have contributed to a devastating decline in the white shark population worldwide. Here at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we're working to turn the tide. We're learning more about white sharks and supporting policies to protect them in the wild. You can help.
Donate now to help save sharks and the oceans they live in.
>We Have Lots to Learn about White Sharks We're Learning a Lot
Observing a white shark face to face is exciting for visitors—and helpful for scientists. But it's just a small part of our white shark research project. Studying white sharks in the wild is even more important and intriguing. Together with our research partners, we're learning more every day about their habits, their travels, their unique and irreplaceable role in the ocean ecosystem.
Find out more about our research.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a pic I took of the second shark that was there:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
For only the third time since 2004, we have a young white shark [Online Field Guide] in the Outer Bay exhibit. He arrived on August 28, and will remain in the million-gallon exhibit as long as he's in good health and hasn't grown too large for us to return safely to the wild.
Like our first shark in 2004, he was caught accidentally in commercial fishing gear. Like our second shark in 2006, he's a young male: just 4-feet, 9-inches long and weighing 67 ½ pounds. As with both of the other young white sharks, he was kept in an ocean holding pen off Malibu in Southern California until we observed him feeding and navigating well in the confines of the pen.
Our first shark was with us for 6 � months; our second, for 4 � months. Both were successfully returned to the wild, and the tracking tags they carried documented their journeys back in the ocean. We've tagged 10 other young sharks in the wild in Southern California waters as part of our white shark field project, and support research to track the migrations of adult white sharks tagged off the Farallon Islands and Point A�o Nuevo on California's central coast.
You can meet the white shark in person when you visit, or try to spot him on our Outer Bay Cam as he swims in the exhibit. We'll post regular online updates on how he's doing.
Why White Sharks Need Our Help
Why White Sharks Need Our Help
Overfishing, trophy hunting, habitat destruction—all have contributed to a devastating decline in the white shark population worldwide. Here at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we're working to turn the tide. We're learning more about white sharks and supporting policies to protect them in the wild. You can help.
Donate now to help save sharks and the oceans they live in.
>We Have Lots to Learn about White Sharks We're Learning a Lot
Observing a white shark face to face is exciting for visitors—and helpful for scientists. But it's just a small part of our white shark research project. Studying white sharks in the wild is even more important and intriguing. Together with our research partners, we're learning more every day about their habits, their travels, their unique and irreplaceable role in the ocean ecosystem.
Find out more about our research.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a pic I took of the second shark that was there:
Friday, August 31, 2007
Old guy friend rescues hiker lost on Mt Baldy
This happened a while ago but I just happened to watch the video tonight. Congrats John! Way to go! He's the blond short haired guy in orange on the video.
http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3358280
&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1
http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3358280
&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1
Meteor shower possible Sat morning!!!
Earth to Hit Aurigid Meteors?
August 23, 2007
by Joe Rao
Skywatchers were out in force for the familiar Perseid meteor shower peaking in mid-August at the dark of the Moon. So why bother with a shower that almost nobody has heard of coming two weeks later in bright moonlight?
Because the Aurigids are this summer’s skywatching wildcard.
The Perseids are the "Old Faithful" of meteor displays, whereas most years the Aurigids produce little or nothing. But three times in the last century, skywatchers were surprised by a short-lived burst of bright meteors emanating from the direction of Auriga early on the morning of September 1st. Circumstances appear excellent for a repeat in 2007, with a small chance that the shower could turn extraordinary. So well-positioned meteor observers — those in far-western North America and Hawaii — are going on high alert.
Surprise!
No Aurigid outburst has yet been photographed (hint, hint). But during the 1998 Leonid fireball shower, Lorenzo Lovato caught four bright meteors in this single 9-minute, wide-field exposure. One prediction suggests that any shower on the morning of September 1st would be especially fireball-rich.
Lorenzo Lovato
The first known Aurigid outburst came in 1935, when on the night of August 31–September 1, astronomers Cuno Hoffmeister and Arthur Teichgraeber of Sonneberg, Germany, witnessed an unexpected and moderately strong meteor display. It appeared to radiate from a spot near the star Beta Aurigae, not far from Capella. Orbital expert Vladimir Guth immediately suggested that the meteors came from Comet Kiess (C/1911 N1), which followed a similar path through space and last came through in September 1911. It has an orbital period of approximately 2,000 years.
Then in 1986, meteor watcher Istvan Tepliczky of Tata, Hungary, went out on September 1st around 1:00 a.m. local time (0:00 Universal Time) for a night of observing. "Just after 1:00 UT", he wrote, "I was an eyewitness of a very spectacular phenomenon. Very bright yellow meteors began to fall; all of them left long trains... Around 1:20 UT I detected meteors every one or two minutes." The shower tapered off slightly after 1:30, and he saw his last meteor at 2:12 UT.
The Aurigids made their most recent appearance on September 1, 1994, caught by experienced meteor observers Robert Lunsford and George Zay at Descanso, California. Considering how few observers our knowledge of these events comes from, Aurigid displays may have happened in other years without being noticed.
Encore in 2007?
At the August 2006 International Astronomical Union meeting, Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute’s Carl Sagan Center announced that the Aurigids are likely to come to life again this September 1st. He based his forecast on calculations by himself and Jérémie Vaubaillon of Caltech, and on earlier work done in collaboration with meteor astronomer Esko Lyytinen of Finland. Working from positions of Comet Kiess recorded in 1911, they determined that prior to that appearance, the comet last swept around the Sun in roughly 82 BC.
At that time the comet should have released a trail of fine rubble following along its path. Some of this comet dross from more than 2,000 years ago, the astronomers found, should only now be completing its first revolution around the Sun, decades behind the comet. Jenniskens showed that the Aurigid outbursts of 1935, 1986, and 1994 all arose when Earth passed through this one lengthy debris trail. And now the stage is set again.
When and Where
The Far West is the place to be for watching whether the Aurigids erupt before dawn on September 1st. The shower’s peak is predicted for about 4:37 a.m. PDT. However, the time prediction could be a little off, the shower may last up to an hour, and some of the meteors may be bright enough to show through a lot of twilight. So observers somewhat east of the prime area could have a chance as well.
S&T Illustration
On Saturday morning, September 1st, around 11:37 UT (plus or minus 20 minutes), Jenniskens and Vaubaillon expect Earth to pass smack through this one-revolution rubble trail from Comet Kiess. The timing favors far-western North America, as shown on the map at right. In this region 11:37 UT falls before the first light of dawn, with Auriga very high in the northeast (roughly 60° or 70° up) — ideal circumstances.
For Hawaii, the radiant will be much lower at that time (1:37 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time). So any shower members seen will be earthgrazers that skim far across the top of the atmosphere nearly horizontally and leave long, colorful, persistent trains (as observed in 1986 and 1994).
Unfortunately, the rest of North America will be in bright twilight or daylight. Like the previous outbursts, the upcoming display should be short-lived, probably lasting no more than an hour or so.
Comet Crumbs
"What makes this shower so special," notes Jenniskens, "is the opportunity to see bits and pieces of the comet’s original crust." Long-period comets have just recently returned from cold storage in the Oort Cloud and are still covered by a crust that resulted from 4.5 billion years of exposure to cosmic rays. When the comet returns to the inner solar system, that crust is crumbled and creates peculiar meteors. "The only other time that a dust trail of a long-period comet was investigated, during the 1995 Alpha Monocerotid outburst, it was found that the meteoroids had lost all their volatile sodium minerals," continues Jenniskens. "There will be no other chance to study long-period-comet dust trails in the next three decades."
A drawback will be the bright waning gibbous Moon, 84% illuminated in nearby Aries. But because the Aurigids ram into our atmosphere at exceptionally high speed (66 kilometers, or 41 miles, per second), and because the particles are predicted to be relatively large, any shower should be rich in bright meteors, with many in the range of magnitude +1 to 0. "So," says Jenniskens, "the Moon probably won’t dim much of the display."
As to how many you might see, the safest forecast is perhaps 20 to 30 per hour. But Lyytinen is predicting many more, with a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) reaching a few hundred. Lyytinen also expects the peak to arrive a few minutes earlier than Jenniskens and Vaubaillon: around 11:20 UT.
"I would predict a ZHR of 300," he says, "but with an uncertainty of 1 to 3; this would mean something between about 100 and 1,000. Let’s hope this will be around 1,000!"
August 23, 2007
by Joe Rao
Skywatchers were out in force for the familiar Perseid meteor shower peaking in mid-August at the dark of the Moon. So why bother with a shower that almost nobody has heard of coming two weeks later in bright moonlight?
Because the Aurigids are this summer’s skywatching wildcard.
The Perseids are the "Old Faithful" of meteor displays, whereas most years the Aurigids produce little or nothing. But three times in the last century, skywatchers were surprised by a short-lived burst of bright meteors emanating from the direction of Auriga early on the morning of September 1st. Circumstances appear excellent for a repeat in 2007, with a small chance that the shower could turn extraordinary. So well-positioned meteor observers — those in far-western North America and Hawaii — are going on high alert.
Surprise!
No Aurigid outburst has yet been photographed (hint, hint). But during the 1998 Leonid fireball shower, Lorenzo Lovato caught four bright meteors in this single 9-minute, wide-field exposure. One prediction suggests that any shower on the morning of September 1st would be especially fireball-rich.
Lorenzo Lovato
The first known Aurigid outburst came in 1935, when on the night of August 31–September 1, astronomers Cuno Hoffmeister and Arthur Teichgraeber of Sonneberg, Germany, witnessed an unexpected and moderately strong meteor display. It appeared to radiate from a spot near the star Beta Aurigae, not far from Capella. Orbital expert Vladimir Guth immediately suggested that the meteors came from Comet Kiess (C/1911 N1), which followed a similar path through space and last came through in September 1911. It has an orbital period of approximately 2,000 years.
Then in 1986, meteor watcher Istvan Tepliczky of Tata, Hungary, went out on September 1st around 1:00 a.m. local time (0:00 Universal Time) for a night of observing. "Just after 1:00 UT", he wrote, "I was an eyewitness of a very spectacular phenomenon. Very bright yellow meteors began to fall; all of them left long trains... Around 1:20 UT I detected meteors every one or two minutes." The shower tapered off slightly after 1:30, and he saw his last meteor at 2:12 UT.
The Aurigids made their most recent appearance on September 1, 1994, caught by experienced meteor observers Robert Lunsford and George Zay at Descanso, California. Considering how few observers our knowledge of these events comes from, Aurigid displays may have happened in other years without being noticed.
Encore in 2007?
At the August 2006 International Astronomical Union meeting, Peter Jenniskens of the SETI Institute’s Carl Sagan Center announced that the Aurigids are likely to come to life again this September 1st. He based his forecast on calculations by himself and Jérémie Vaubaillon of Caltech, and on earlier work done in collaboration with meteor astronomer Esko Lyytinen of Finland. Working from positions of Comet Kiess recorded in 1911, they determined that prior to that appearance, the comet last swept around the Sun in roughly 82 BC.
At that time the comet should have released a trail of fine rubble following along its path. Some of this comet dross from more than 2,000 years ago, the astronomers found, should only now be completing its first revolution around the Sun, decades behind the comet. Jenniskens showed that the Aurigid outbursts of 1935, 1986, and 1994 all arose when Earth passed through this one lengthy debris trail. And now the stage is set again.
When and Where
The Far West is the place to be for watching whether the Aurigids erupt before dawn on September 1st. The shower’s peak is predicted for about 4:37 a.m. PDT. However, the time prediction could be a little off, the shower may last up to an hour, and some of the meteors may be bright enough to show through a lot of twilight. So observers somewhat east of the prime area could have a chance as well.
S&T Illustration
On Saturday morning, September 1st, around 11:37 UT (plus or minus 20 minutes), Jenniskens and Vaubaillon expect Earth to pass smack through this one-revolution rubble trail from Comet Kiess. The timing favors far-western North America, as shown on the map at right. In this region 11:37 UT falls before the first light of dawn, with Auriga very high in the northeast (roughly 60° or 70° up) — ideal circumstances.
For Hawaii, the radiant will be much lower at that time (1:37 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time). So any shower members seen will be earthgrazers that skim far across the top of the atmosphere nearly horizontally and leave long, colorful, persistent trains (as observed in 1986 and 1994).
Unfortunately, the rest of North America will be in bright twilight or daylight. Like the previous outbursts, the upcoming display should be short-lived, probably lasting no more than an hour or so.
Comet Crumbs
"What makes this shower so special," notes Jenniskens, "is the opportunity to see bits and pieces of the comet’s original crust." Long-period comets have just recently returned from cold storage in the Oort Cloud and are still covered by a crust that resulted from 4.5 billion years of exposure to cosmic rays. When the comet returns to the inner solar system, that crust is crumbled and creates peculiar meteors. "The only other time that a dust trail of a long-period comet was investigated, during the 1995 Alpha Monocerotid outburst, it was found that the meteoroids had lost all their volatile sodium minerals," continues Jenniskens. "There will be no other chance to study long-period-comet dust trails in the next three decades."
A drawback will be the bright waning gibbous Moon, 84% illuminated in nearby Aries. But because the Aurigids ram into our atmosphere at exceptionally high speed (66 kilometers, or 41 miles, per second), and because the particles are predicted to be relatively large, any shower should be rich in bright meteors, with many in the range of magnitude +1 to 0. "So," says Jenniskens, "the Moon probably won’t dim much of the display."
As to how many you might see, the safest forecast is perhaps 20 to 30 per hour. But Lyytinen is predicting many more, with a zenithal hourly rate (ZHR) reaching a few hundred. Lyytinen also expects the peak to arrive a few minutes earlier than Jenniskens and Vaubaillon: around 11:20 UT.
"I would predict a ZHR of 300," he says, "but with an uncertainty of 1 to 3; this would mean something between about 100 and 1,000. Let’s hope this will be around 1,000!"
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