HINI (Swine Flu) Declared National Emergency

Over the weekend, President Obama declared a national emergency as the HINI virus has now spread to 46 US states and claimed 1000 lives thus far. Widespread shortages in the availability of the HINI vaccine around the country has resulted in long lines outside health clinics and mounting frustration for parents of the young children who have emerged as the most at risk group from this virus wanting to vaccinate and protect their children. Health experts admit that the production of the HINI vaccine dosages has been slower than originally projected, however they are quick to assure the public that the vaccine will be widely available by mid-November.

If you are among the many people who are waiting for the vaccination to become available in your area there are things that you can do to reduce your risks of exposure to the HINI virus.

· Cough/sneeze into your elbow and not into your hands. This goes against the longstanding advice most are familiar with to cover your mouth and nose with your hands whenever you cough or sneeze. This practice prevents bacteria expelled from the nose and mouth from ending up on your hands and either re-entering your body when you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth, or from contaminating the surfaces and other people that you come into contact with around you.

·Frequent hand-washing with antibacterial soap and very warm water, as well as using hand sanitizers in gel form or wipes, is also recommended for reducing your exposure to the HINI flu virus. Sanitizer wipes tend to be more practical for younger children while teens generally find hand sanitizing gels more practical for them. Wash your hands after any possible exposure to HINI germs such as touching surfaces, handling money, or shaking hands with someone.

·Some people are pushing the ‘elbow-bump’ as the newest and safest way to greet someone else. This may not always be possible or appropriate in a business setting. In business and social settings today with everyone aware of the HINI pandemic it is acceptable to carry and use hand sanitizers after shaking hands to protect yourself from this deadly virus.

·Do not re-use tissues. Throw away your tissue after a single use and get a fresh one to avoid re-introducing germs back into your body that your immune system and body has already worked hard to get rid of.

·Avoid enclosed areas lacking proper ventilation with people in them wherever possible. Offices and other work spaces, restaurants, meeting places, as well as classrooms all need good ventilation to reduce the spreading of the HINI virus from person to person. Certainly if you or your child is sick with HINI, stay home until you have not had a fever for at least 24hrs without using fever-reducing medications, and do not expose others to the virus.

·Do your best not to panic over the presence of HINI this flu season. Top health experts have staid that there will be enough vaccines available in just a few weeks for everyone wanting the HINI flu vaccine. Media coverage of the HINI pandemic is sure to expand as confirmed cases of HINI grows and the government’s health department and health organizations issue new warnings to the public on how they can protect themselves from this deadly flu virus.

Stay healthy!

God Bless the Group: Diamond Rio for This Inspirational Song

Neighboring Canine Pals

This is a snapshot of my neighbor’s dogs. I watched them this weekend and they have become very good canine pals of mine. They can never take my Hannah Lilly’s place of course but they have great personalities and are mostly obedient considering I am not their human pack leader.  Buddy is the Sheepdog and Aiden is the Spaniel.

I should pay my neighbor a fee for the weight I am sure the spaniel helped me to walk off this weekend trying not to lose him as he kept up a steady and very fast clip on all of our walks.

Electronic Cigarettes Pose Cancer Risk

Smoking is a hard habit to break. Many people ask their doctor to prescribe a medication to help them stop smoking or they may use a variety of OTC products for help in quitting smoking. Although the E-Cigarette looked promising especially to the many smokers wanting to stop smoking while avoiding withdrawal symptoms recently targeted in a large-scale media blitz by the makers of the E-Cigarette. The FDA warns that these electronic cigarettes (that mimic the feel and brain stimulation of real tobacco cigarettes) are themselves dangerous because they contain cancer-causing chemicals and advise consumers not to use them. Read more about this warning about the E-Cigarette.

A Little Biblical Humor

His mama carried the family bible to church every Sunday. She would read the bible to herself in the afternoons he often observed, and on many occasions, she read him a story from the bible before helping him to say his prayers and tucking him into bed. One day Billy decided to see for himself why mama was so fond of the bible. Looking through the pages quickly with a very concentrated look on his face, a pressed dry leaf falls out from between the two pages where someone had placed it long ago. Billy picked up the leaf and ran to find his mama to show her what he had just found. He shouted excitedly as he ran into the kitchen where his mama was preparing lunch, “Mama! Mama!” Look what I found! ”

“What did you find honey?” his mama asked him. Billy replied, “I think it is Adams underwear.”

Is a Hurried Life a Fulfilled Life?

A reader sent this to me. Thanks Joe.

Musician playing violin in a Washington DC
Metro Station on a cold January morning
in 2007.

He played six Bach pieces for about 60 minutes. During that time approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After:

3 minutes

A middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
10 minutes
A three year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.
45 minutes
The musician played. Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32.
1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
This is a real story. The Washington Post, as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities, arranged the entire scenario. Playing incognito, no one knew the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days prior to this, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the tickets averaged $100 per seat.
The questions raised:
In a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty; do we stop to appreciate it;
do we recognize talent in such an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ....... How many other things are we missing?

Do Americans Need to Check Their Priorities?

Someone sent me an email today containing a letter purportedly composed by a soldier. I have decided to post it here because I believe it raises some valid points about the people that many Americans choose to give priority to while many times ignoring the significant and selfless contributions of other people like the brave souls in our military services. Below is the message I received in its entirety. You may draw your own conclusions as to whether you think the message expressed in this letter has some validity to it or not.

 

THIS WAS WRITTEN BY A SOLDIER IN IRAQ.
>
>
> I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael
> Jackson . As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an
> entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent
> millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many
> people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and
> I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point
> of my rant.
>
> Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their
> minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the
> country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to
> flock to a memorial in Hollywood , and even Congress sees the need to
> hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?
>
> Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a freaking martyr because he entertained us for a few decades? What
> about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those
> Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war,
> still raised their 2 hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the
> United States of America . Where is there moment of silence? Where
> are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over
> them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a
> Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank
> God for IEDs?" When did this country become so calloused to the
> sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off
> their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop
> Icon?"
>
> I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS
> for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every
> service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan . They need to PUBLICLY
> recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people
> can live their callous little lives in the luxury and freedom that WE,
> those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for
> them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have
> been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never
> make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit
> songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat
> and tears so that people can enjoy what they have.
>
> Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Feel free to pass
> this along if you want.
>
> Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is
> serving in the military;
> "So that others may live..."
>
>
> Only two people have ever effectively given their lives for you.
>
> Jesus Christ and The American G.I.
>
> One died for your sins, the other died to give you freedom.