Swine Flu Facts from The CDC

Swine Flu
What is Swine Influenza?Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.
How many swine flu viruses are there?Like all influenza viruses, swine flu viruses change constantly. Pigs can be infected by avian influenza and human influenza viruses as well as swine influenza viruses. When influenza viruses from different species infect pigs, the viruses can reassort (i.e. swap genes) and new viruses that are a mix of swine, human and/or avian influenza viruses can emerge. Over the years, different variations of swine flu viruses have emerged. At this time, there are four main influenza type A virus subtypes that have been isolated in pigs: H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1. However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses.
Swine Flu in Humans
Can humans catch swine flu?Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of apparent swine flu infection in pigs in Wisconsin in 1988 resulted in multiple human infections, and, although no community outbreak resulted, there was antibody evidence of virus transmission from the patient to health care workers who had close contact with the patient.How common is swine flu infection in humans?In the past, CDC received reports of approximately one human swine influenza virus infection every one to two years in the U.S., but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza have been reported.
What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.
How does swine flu spread?Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.
What do we know about human-to-human spread of swine flu?In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized for pneumonia and died 8 days later. A swine H1N1 flu virus was detected. Four days before getting sick, the patient visited a county fair swine exhibition where there was widespread influenza-like illness among the swine.
In follow-up studies, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. Additional studies suggest that one to three health care personnel who had contact with the patient developed mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody evidence of swine flu infection.How can human infections with swine influenza be diagnosed?To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 10 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to CDC for laboratory testing.
What medications are available to treat swine flu infections in humans?There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent swine influenza viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. At this time, CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.
What other examples of swine flu outbreaks are there?Probably the most well known is an outbreak of swine flu among soldiers in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1976. The virus caused disease with x-ray evidence of pneumonia in at least 4 soldiers and 1 death; all of these patients had previously been healthy. The virus was transmitted to close contacts in a basic training environment, with limited transmission outside the basic training group. The virus is thought to have circulated for a month and disappeared. The source of the virus, the exact time of its introduction into Fort Dix, and factors limiting its spread and duration are unknown. The Fort Dix outbreak may have been caused by introduction of an animal virus into a stressed human population in close contact in crowded facilities during the winter. The swine influenza A virus collected from a Fort Dix soldier was named A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1).Is the H1N1 swine flu virus the same as human H1N1 viruses?No. The H1N1 swine flu viruses are antigenically very different from human H1N1 viruses and, therefore, vaccines for human seasonal flu would not provide protection from H1N1 swine flu viruses.
Swine Flu in Pigs
How does swine flu spread among pigs? Swine flu viruses are thought to be spread mostly through close contact among pigs and possibly from contaminated objects moving between infected and uninfected pigs. Herds with continuous swine flu infections and herds that are vaccinated against swine flu may have sporadic disease, or may show only mild or no symptoms of infection.
What are signs of swine flu in pigs? Signs of swine flu in pigs can include sudden onset of fever, depression, coughing (barking), discharge from the nose or eyes, sneezing, breathing difficulties, eye redness or inflammation, and going off feed.
How common is swine flu among pigs? H1N1 and H3N2 swine flu viruses are endemic among pig populations in the United States and something that the industry deals with routinely. Outbreaks among pigs normally occur in colder weather months (late fall and winter) and sometimes with the introduction of new pigs into susceptible herds. Studies have shown that the swine flu H1N1 is common throughout pig populations worldwide, with 25 percent of animals showing antibody evidence of infection. In the U.S. studies have shown that 30 percent of the pig population has antibody evidence of having had H1N1 infection. More specifically, 51 percent of pigs in the north-central U.S. have been shown to have antibody evidence of infection with swine H1N1. Human infections with swine flu H1N1 viruses are rare. There is currently no way to differentiate antibody produced in response to flu vaccination in pigs from antibody made in response to pig infections with swine H1N1 influenza.
While H1N1 swine viruses have been known to circulate among pig populations since at least 1930, H3N2 influenza viruses did not begin circulating among US pigs until 1998. The H3N2 viruses initially were introduced into the pig population from humans. The current swine flu H3N2 viruses are closely related to human H3N2 viruses.
Is there a vaccine for swine flu? Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent swine influenza. There is no vaccine to protect humans from swine flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine will likely help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses.

For all of the ladies who do not trust their mate I think its time to get a google phone on a shared plan. There are several stories floating around about google finder. My favorite one is about a woman who launched the application to where her cheating husband may be and low and behold him and his truck was right in view. So she downloaded the picture and went straight to a divorce lawyer. She is of course divorcing him for infidelity. The husband has not commented on the divorce claim, but he has commented on the fact that he feels as though google has violated his privacy. Google has defended themselves by stating that when the customer signed up he did not read the terms of service. The service is like a GPS tracking the actual phone equipment so there was no privacy when placing the service on his handset and he agreed to have the service on his handset and to the terms of service. I find this funny on one hand because he was caught and it was no way to lie and say that it wasn’t him. The photo was clear on down to his range rover in the parking spot behind him, than on the other hand it makes me nervous because this is Big Brother action for real they can track you down with a satellite and know your exact location. So I wonder.....if you want to know where someone is and you have the service and they are not on your plan but they have the service can you locate them? I have a lot of questions about this. I know you have comments So Let me know what you think

Protect your Computer come 4/1/09

The conficker worm is coming to get all of your information and invade all of the computers in your home. If you are a MAC user this does not apply to you (rolling my eyes) you all are exempt from worms and viruses and other things that cause us to pay more money to Microsoft. That is truely an investment I am going to have to make in 2009 .I have a co-worker who swears that Microsoft creates these things to get us to update our computers regularly, and the more I read the more I am starting to wonder about his theory. Well getting back on topic this worm “conficker” has been made to actually reach out to its creator to get new instructions on 4/1/09 .Now this is a problem because the creator still has not been identified and this worm is credited with destroying several networks. It is the most destructive of its kind and IT people everywhere are waiting and hoping that 4/7/09 goes by incident free. Some say that it will be like the Y2K bug noting but hype, but some analyst say they think that it’s a viable threat so all need to be careful. Here are some links to help with security on your home computer if your not sure if your system is protected. Be safe while you are surfing.


Microsoft Patch
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx

Microsfot Autorun Update
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/967940.mspx

Removal tools

Microsoft tools
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/962007

Additional Removal resources
http://www.shadowserver.org/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.HomePage

Vaccine Tool
http://www.pandasecurity.com/usa/homeusers/downloads/usbvaccine/

The Resurrection

Happy Tuesday All I hope you all had a great weekend and good start to your week. Today the verdict of Ria Ramkisson is on Trouble’s Mind she has been found guilty of abusing her one year old son leading to his death. She has been sentenced to five years probation and no jail time in exchange for her testimony against four members of the cult. The small child was starved to death because he would not say amen. The groups’ leader told the mother that her son will be raised from the dead like Christ. She has believed it so much that she has that as a stipulation of her probation, if her son is raised from the dead the probation will be null. Now I understand one having their own beliefs and faith but once it is placed in court documents doesn’t that change things, just a little? The group she was involved with is considered so much of a cult that she has to participate in psychiatric deprogramming. I understand her being true to religion and her faith but I have real harsh feelings towards her because nothing is supposed to trump the mommy card. Mommy is always in my mind supposed to kick in and protect your young one. But I will keep my opinions of how she should be punished to myself. I would like to know how you feel about the courts placing that wording in her plea agreement, and if you think 5 years probation was a fluke of a sentence for killing an innocent helpless child.

Questionable Traffic Stop

Well today while reading the paper I came across a story that I found to be sad. I found it to be sad because on one hand the officer felt like he was doing his job and that he couldn’t just fall for any story given to him for someone who broke the law. But on the other hand they were at the hospital so all he had to do was go in and verify the story. A football player Ryan Moats was rushing his wife to a local hospital in Texas because her mom was dying from breast cancer. Mr. Moats ran a red light to get her there because they were advised that her mom was about to pass and the family who wanted to be there needed to be there soon. While in transit right outside of the hospital Mr Moats ran a red light and was pulled over right in front of the hospital. Mrs. Moats jumped out the car and started running into the hospital the officer ordered her back into the car she replied that her mom was dying and ignored his request and continued into the hospital. So while preparing to give a citation the officer and Mr. Moats had a very heated exchange. The officer even threatened to jail Mr. Moats. Moats could not at that point locate his insurance paperwork and was advised by the officer that he needed to shut up and cooperate or he was going to jail for running a red light. After all of this exchange the officer gave him a ticket and lectured him for an additional 13 minutes during which his mother in law passed away. During all of this there was another passenger in the car who happened to be the father of Mr. Moat’s mother in law so he had to sit through this ordeal wanting to be with his daughter during her final moments but held in front of the hospital by a police officer. I understand that police officers have a job to do I also understand that they get all kinds of sob stories, but the fact that they were in front of the hospital just kind of makes me wonder what kind of person the officer is. He could have easily escorted them in there to verify instead of intentionally delaying them from spending final moments with their loved one. I am grateful that he wasn’t a over reactor because things could have been worst he could have shot Mrs. Moats in her back while she made her way into the hospital because she refused to stop on his order so I am grateful for that. It seems to me that they may need some sensitivity training or something. We send our Prayers and condolences to the Moats family.

Good Afternoon All

The server has been down most of the day so I will not be blogging today but I will have plenty to talk about tomorrow. Enjoy your evening

Errors

To all that receive my Blog in e-mail I am sending a huge apology the final product for some reason has not been reaching your inbox but the actual drafts that I start from my cell phone and haven’t proof read and some that do not make any sense.Someone brought it to my attention this evening So please accept my apologies.
Troub!e

Puppets Speaks Loud and Clear

Well today is “WHY” Wednesday and I am just full of questions today. Like why would a person continuously prove that they are a puppet? Why would someone constantly prove that they talk because they can and that they really have nothing to say? “WHY”? Why would one put his ego aside before making a statement because even though they have a personal agenda the fact is that statement is larger than them? Well if I ever get a chance I will ask Bobby Jindal these questions. Because yes I can understand that there is pressure to want to have your own identity since you will be trying to run for president in the next election 2012, But to make it to that point you need to choose and pick your battles carefully and he is not. His communication is very blah so he has a lot of work to do to catch up,because now America has had the pleasure of having a leader who can articulate himself properly and he makes plenty of sense nothing like the past 8 years. Gov Jindal decides to give his take on the question of” Do you want the president to fail?” This man’s reply is a response that shows jealousy and envy. He defended anyone who wants him to fail. he feels as though we have as americans have put to much faith in Obama and he will not be brow beaten to submission.No one wants to be brow beaten,but cooperation is actually one of the skills needed for being a leader Governor Jindal.I believe in healthy opposition, but in the current position of the financial state of America hoping that the man who is trying to put things back into perspective is not only nuts but it’s wanting this country to fail because he fails WE all lose. Not democrats or Republicans but American's. We all lose and that is not good for any American so get over your party foolishness. We need leadership that’s trying to assist in helping to rebuild the country. Not one that is going to make every turn a difficult task because the people who vote remember all too clearly when it comes time to go to the polls.

Open for Questions

The president has now initiated a new feature for his way of governing the free world in this technical day and age.He wants to be accessible to the American people, The people he works for. It is simply titled Open for Questions.There is a link on the home page of the white house web site that is asking for questions.They are looking for your questions to ask the president and you can vote for your question and others starting this wednesday. The most popular ones will be answered by the President on thursday.He is trying this new feature and thursday is the 1st of a few online town hall meetings.So log onto www.whitehouse.gov/OpenForQuestions and register so you can try to get your questions answered by President Obama.The meeting will be streamed Live from the White House.Pass it on .

RACIST ARTor Expression

Today on this wonderful Tuesday Racism is again on Troubles mind why cant we just cal it what it is. I think that people are so in the mid set that it just can’t be going on in the year of 2009, but it is. This has to be one of the most blatant cases of racism that I have ever seen and to think that at one time it was ok for people to get away with worst is a horrific thought for me. This was sent to me by a friend in NY. There is an artist who goes by the name of Yazmany Arboleda decided that he would do an exhibit about the assassination of Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama. He tried to show the exhibit in the middle of Manhattan. This person states that his art is covered by the constitution because he assumed it was expression. He is wrong it is flat out racism and a call to have these two public figures assassinated. What is this world coming to These pictures are very offensive and to me disturbing and not to be viewed by young eyes. He even set up web sites for the two in one exhibits

http://www.theassassinationofbarackobama.com/

http://www.theassassinationofhillaryclinton.com/

I gave my opinion Post a comment and tell me what you think

PICTURES MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME READERS VIEW AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION

Flashback

Do you ever have a time where you hear a song that takes you back to back to high school? Well I had the pleasure of having one of those moments. I am a lot on the chunky side theses days so I have been in the gym working my way back down to just plain ole thick. So one day last week on our way to the gym a lady walks up to me and my companion and asked if we wanted tickets to see New Kids on The Block. The concert was starting at that very moment and so it was a split second decision. I am such a woman so I am like I don’t want to go to a concert like this I don’t have on any jewelry or the correct clothes. My companion who is just baffled by the female species is like WHAT? LOL with a look of get over yourself on his face. I shake it off and go in tan sweatpants and a Black T shirt so I am not feeling not cute at all, but when we get inside and the NKOTB came out on stage I forgot about what I had on. It took me back to 1989-1993 all of the hits. Not to mention the women my age in the original NKOTB t-shirts and paraphernalia some had their small kids with them that new all the songs that had been sung and were just as fanatical as their moms it was a very nostalgic moment for me to go back in time. Those were the times before boyfriends’, kids’, bills, or any responsibility .WOW Great memories and NKOTB still gives a great show still vibrant and energetic the show was great I am glad I didn’t miss out because of my wardrobe. I learned from that moment that I need to stop being superficial and just do what I need to do. It was a great flashback moment. I got to scream like a school girl and it was OK.

Independent Woman 2009

I am an independent woman. So many of use that statement with such pride and arrogance and yes it can be a wonderful thing at least sometimes. I am realizing more and more that we are independent women and yes we can do it all by myself, but we don’t want to. The I am a millennium woman mentality in some ways has handicapped us when it comes to sharing. We are so use to sharing things that are nonsensical and of unimportance, that when it is time to share with a significant other we are at a lost for words (YES ME INCLUDED) and its not that we are keeping secrets or even have anything to hide but because we can be outspoken and can keep it real about any everything else when it comes to matters of the heart we are a bunch of wusses. We Can hardly verbalize our thoughts and when we do its in fragments. Some are fortunate enough to have someone that understands that they have been alone and not in a relationship for sometime so they have some patience, but it is a problem that we need to fix. No one wants to be alone or to lose someone special because they can’t seem to get it together and the worst thing is when speaking with others no pne knows even where to start. The thought of being the old lady in the house with all the cats is not what most see in their future but without communication how can you stop it? Your mate is now giving warning signs of their patience wearing thin and that you need to fix the problem ASAP.What is it that chokes us up? It is the thought of being that vulnerable that makes us feel helpless? Is it that we are scared that this wonderful person will in turns use the weakness against us? I need some thoughts and opinions Male and Female.

Whats 1 Day?

I would like to know when the education of our children took a back seat to everything else and how did we allow this to happen. Why would we allow the cost of gas allow us to cost a complete day out of education? We like to think we are a superpower but with the education system in the state that it’s in we are going to be a tragedy all the weapons and non one smart enough to use them. Every other country puts education first but NOOOOOO not us we are so materialistic and just backwards that it’s not a major upset to cut a complete day of instruction out. Our future is looking REAL shaky, and I feel almost powerless to stop what is going to be a major mistake. This is not right it is handicapping out future and the future of our country. I would like comments on this tell me what do you think?

The Wonders at Home

HAPPY MONDAY ALL, I am back from my mini vacation. I took a week off to rest before starting classes. So let’s jump right into what’s on Trouble’s Mind. I want to start with something pleasant. I had the pleasure of just cruising around DC this weekend and realized how much there is to see. There are the monuments and museums but even the architecture of the building in that area are just amazing. I had a good time and realized that I live so close and really don’t take advantage of all the things to do and see in D.C. . Just like for most people in our area when you say harbor most people will automatically assume you are speaking of the inner harbor in Baltimore but I had the pleasure of visiting the National Harbor in Maryland on the out skirts of DC it has some of the best restaurants like McCormick & Schmicks, Grace’s Mandarin, and my favorite Cake love. There are also places to shop like the Fossil Store, Harley Davidson, The Life is Good Store and the America! store. I liked the America! Store had all the good America apparel as well as white house doodads and trinkets. Not to mention they have a Segway retailer so you can buy, lease, or rent a Segway. I really want t ride on of those so got to put that on my to do list. It is really beautiful with the sculptures and paintings and they also moved a sculpture from DC to the national Harbor. The man in the ground, 1 of my travel partners this weekend described it best “Looks like titan coming out of the ground”. It is always nice to travel and see different things but it’s even better to find wonderful things right at home. O and just a reminder the Cherry Blossoms are blooming. The peak dates are April 1st –April 11th this year so if you get a chance go and visit they are truly gorgeous.

Missing at Sea

I am sending out my prayer to the family of NFL player’s Corey Smith, Marquis Cooper and Will Bleakley. The men went on a fishing trip on Saturday morning and did not return home. It is said that the weather became a little unruly and the boat overturned. The Coast Guard has now called off the search the mission. R.I.P.

iPhone set free

Happy Wednesday everyone Well today on my mind is an iphone. I read an article today about a hearing to open up the iphone as well as other exclusive phone to all providers. A few small companies have teamed up and decided that they if a item is only available to one company it is not fair competition and they are taking it all the way to D.C. . They have appointments set up with the Federal Communications Commission, the Copyright Office, the Federal Trade Commission, and congressional leaders, asking them to outlaw exclusive handset and software deals. This will be very interesting and of course will be an up hill battle for them because most of the people who benefit from these deals are going to lawyer up and they are going to fight it all the way to the top. This type of situation could cost some of the wireless providers a lot of $$$$ which is major revenue loss. They will not take this one sitting down so I hope the smaller companies are ready because this will be a true battle. I know tech junkies like myself could only dream of getting my hands on the iphone, I love the phone but I can’t take the AT&T service so something like this would be great for me not so good for the companies involved. This will be interesting I added the link to the article so you can read. Leave a Comment.

Presedential Weekly Address

Well this saturday the president did his weekly address and it is titled "Keeping Promises ".I was impressed as I have been with his delivery as well as his list of things accomplised. Here is his speech take a listen and tell me what you think. Dont forget to leave comment.


video courtesy of www.whitehouse.gov

Officer Not So Friendly

HAPPY SNOWY MONDAY ALL!!!!! Today questionable police beatings are on Trouble’s mind. I was sent a video of a police officer beat down a 15 year old girl. Now I am first to say that a teenager will most definitely push all of your buttons but the way this officer handled her, if he saw her parents attack her the way he attacked her he would have arrested them. I could not believe the unnecessary force used in this assault yes I said assault the police department is saying she was being detained it looks like assault to me. I may be overreacting but I will include the clip so you can give your opinion. I personally believe that the police officer involved may have to look for another job because he doesn’t realize that his job is to protect and serve.Not to mention he has been under the microscope for previous unethical behaviour. So I look forward to seeing how this one plays out. I also look forward to your comments. Tell me how it makes you feel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoAcQsu9Ru8

Congressional Address

So on the 33rd day of his presidency Barack Obama has addressed a joint session of Congress and in Obama fashion it was a motivational speech for congress and all Americans. He has a way of empathizing with the needs of the people that makes him so personable that you want to hear what he has to say. He gave reassurance of the rebound of the economy and made sure that we understood that it was from years of mismanagement and that even though he is the president we as Americans all share the load and the responsibility. He also stressed that action is needed in Healthcare, education and energy and I believe that he made those points to remind us that he has not forgotten statements and promises made on the campaign trail. I am truly impressed with the speech and delivery. He is an awesome speaker. So in a tacky not rehearsed rebuttal the republicans recorded before the speech, but aired afterwards which made no sense to me but hey if they let it air it was a message in there for someone. The republican minority of the moment Governor Bobby Jindal gave a speech in which he stated that the republicans would be working with President Obama to grow the revenue but in their opinion the stimulus will only grow government, and than stated that he will not use the entire portion of the stimulus for his state only a portion. So to me it sounds like he is just being defiant, saying I am going to take some of the money but not all of it. WHATEVER!!! If it affects your state negatively you won’t have to worry because you won’t get re-elected. All polls state that Americans feel optimistic about the financial state and believe that President Obama is doing his best to turn things around. I have Hope and I believe in the change. COMMENTS

11 year old murderer?

Ok I try my best not to focus on the negative things in life but what in the world is happening when a preteen child premeditates murder? I was just sent a story about an 11 year old that shot his father’s pregnant girlfriend in the head while she slept. The little boy hid his shotgun which was a Christmas present under a blanket and walked down the steps in to her bedroom and shot her in the head. He than picked up the shot gun casing and discarded on his way to catch the school bus. I do not understand how this generation is so desensitized that they do not understand the value of life and the consequences of taking someone else’s life. He had this planned and knew what the outcome would be. This little boy has been trained on shooting weapons from a very young age so he understood that when you shoot something living that it will die. I wonder how his dad feels about this; he lost his girlfriend and an unborn child. My prayers go out to the family for the lost of the expecting mother the victim and the lost of such a young life that is now damaged in some aspects even though he committed the crime he is also a victim. He may go to jail and he may have lost the love of his Dad. So sad Comments Please

TAKING CHANCE

Happy Tuesday all, Today the HBO movie “Taking Chance” is on my mind. We have all had some experience with a lost of someone to the war in the Middle East. This movie goes into detail and shows it from a different point of view, it shows it from the view of the military escort and the entire experience on escorting the marines remains home. So many people who never even asked what he was doing knew and all gave condolences and shared in the experience like it was there loved one. The movie really touched me, but one part in particular that touched me was when he was on a layover and he ran into another marine who was an escort and they had small talk and the other escort said that his family was meeting him and when asked if he was related he said yes it was his brother. It was very touching and emotional for me. Not the fact of the person who passed which is a sad story in and of itself but how many who have been touched by the war in one way or another. People gave trinkets and cried as if they knew the deceased or had the experience recently. I can not explain why it touched me so deeply, but if you have HBO and hour and a half to spare I recommend this movie.

Sheila Dixon

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has expressed anger about not receiving recognition during the visit of Barack Obama when he visited Baltimore the weekend before the inauguration. The reporter states that when Obama visited Philadelphia he thanked the mayor of Philadelphia, but when in Baltimore he didn’t acknowledge the mayor of Baltimore, but not just the President but Governor Martin Omalley, and Congressman Elijah Cummings also decided not to give mention of her and she states that was a lonely part of the job. For those who do not know the Mayor is accused of corruption and has several indictments. So she should in my opinion understand why she was snubbed. Barack wasn’t even in office and did not want to be associated with any type of corruption so she should understand why, because if the tables were turned she would not have said his name. So she needs to focus on her city which is falling apart around her. She claims to have accomplished more than her predecessors. Well you were the city counsel president for much of that time and Umm in my eyes you didn’t do much then, when it should have counted. So dry your eyes put a band aid on your ego and run your City Mayor Dixon.

Michelle has Visitors

First Lady Michelle Obama has reached out to local DC schools to celebrate (Black History Month) I was corrected by my daughter yesterday it is now called Black Heritage Month. The White House Welcomed 180 students on February 18, 2009. They had the pleasure of listening to Admiral Stephen W. Rochon who is the White House’s Director of the Executive Residence and Chief Usher. Admiral Rochon has been in this position since 2007 appointed by George W. Bush.


The first lady spoke of potential and being able to be a success no matter what the position they hold. She spoke of the professionalism of the Admiral and his staff. The students also had the pleasure of listening to Honey on the Rock an all female acapella group. I love her style she is all for the people

RACIST MEDIA!!!!

Hello Readers, today Racism is on Troubles mind, The New York Post to be exact. How in this day and age can a publication not show any restraint and just place such a derogatory picture up and not assume that someone would be offended. I am almost in a state of confusion because we are raising our children to live a double sided life. We send our children to school and tell them all men are created equally but in the confines of our homes we say prejudice things about other races. Some people do not find the comic to be offensive and state that some are over reacting.
I have to disagree. For many years there was an association of African Americans and monkeys, apes, chimpanzees, and gorilla’s. I remember as a small child my great grandmother telling me stories of some of the hurtful and awful things that would be said to her. She was a nurse which was a huge accomplishment at that time she suffered through a lot for her love of people, she would tell stories of how some of her patients would ask her if she grew a tail at night and, that some of the patients were told these stories growing up and they believed them.
So for a publication in this day and age to print such a thing is not only offensive it is unacceptable. I think this is the first time I agreed with Al Sharpton about anything and that an annoying thought for me. For the future and for progress we need to come to some type of balance. The Post needs to apologize and rethink their purpose as an outlet of the media. Just my Opinion! I have attached the comic you be the judge.

Baltimore Schools

Happy Wednesday Everyone, Today the Baltimore City School system is on Trouble’s mind. Education is the responsibility of the parents and student and that is where the foundation and importance of education is laid. The school is where the child is educated and given advice on how to maintain good grades and the actual instruction is in the school building. There are many people included in this process teacher, administrators, guidance counselors and so forth. Again I want to reiterate that the initial foundation is laid at home. In Baltimore there has been a break in the chain of this process some are at home, but most are in the school system. The system is jacked up, a big mess no one knows what’s going on. You have children being transferred from one school to another with out the parents having any idea and there is no logical explanation. The children are running wild in the hallways and screaming in the cafeteria it is a Disaster. There seems to be no structure and a major loss of control. The powers that be seem to be sweeping the problems under the rug. No one wants to take responsibility or attempt to fix the problem; they rather place band aids on long term problems until something bad happens. The Mayor in Baltimore decided to visit one of the schools that have such problems. It is a shame and it sets a terrible precedent to only reward when there has been a tragedy. A student was stabbed outside of the school, and the mayor decided to meet with students and talk about job placement for them. As a parent I feel as though the school system should be handles the same way they handle the road side beautification, on the regular basis. They put up pretty flowers and bricks and murals to beautify Baltimore while school children are reading out of text books that were printed in the 80’s. The students only feel that they are a priority when the make a ruckus. That should never be the case. The local government should be held accountable so that they will then hold the school district accountable, because these young people will be holding important jobs and the wrong example is being set for them to carry in the real world. This problem needs to be fixed and fixed immediately……I know I just went on a RANT, but this is about what’s on my mind. Please Readers I would love to read your comments

The Performance

The arrangements performed at the BSO were the following .

Marin Alsop will lead the orchestra in A. Jack Thomas's Mirage: A Fantasy of the Desert and Gershwin's Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture during the first half of the program, minus Glover. The selections chosen for the second half of the program present a wide range of rhythms for Glover's exhilarating choreography and improvisation. John Adams Lollapalooza brings a Latino flavor, Michael Daugherty's Desi introduces big band swing, Arturo Márquez's Danzon No. 2 infuses Afro-Cuban rhythms and Duke Ellington's "Vortex" (from The River) is the most intense piece, melding jazz and classical themes. To give Glover a chance to cool down, the Orchestra will perform James P. Johnson's Drums: A Symphonic Poem in between his two musical sets.

A. Jack Thomas: Mirage: A Fantasy of the DesertGershwin: Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic PictureJohn Adams: Lollapalooza*Michael Daugherty: Desi*James P. Johnson: Drums: A Symphonic PoemArturo Marquez: Danzon No. 2*Ellington: "Vortex" from The River*
*featuring Savion Glover

courtesy of The BSO press Release

Valentines Day Events

Happy Presidents Day to all!!!! Today I am going to recap my WONDERFUL weekend. I had the pleasure of taking in Jessica Holters Punany Poets in the district and I must say it was everything I expected. It had a very erotic tone and was very descriptive but what most may not have paid attention to was the actual recurring theme that was repeated constantly but not the main topic. The topic of safe sex and being protected was the underlying theme. They had several small skits a guitar player named uncle funky. 1 female who the object of attention during several pieces , female who danced as well as acted out 2 small skits and 3 male poets and 1 female poet. The vibe in the venue was 1 like you wont get in a lot of other venues it was perfect for this particular show. Than the crowd had their own small comedy act going on I sat in the peanut gallery with all the comments. They had their own comments and observations which they yelled out which added to the show in some aspects. I enjoyed the show and would attend again whenever they returned. I would suggest seeing with a mate.

On Valentines Day I had the pleasure of attending the BSO featuring Savion Glover. Which I have to say was an awesome experience. The BSO covered several pieces some I was familiar with an arrangement from Porgy and Bess and a few I have heard but could not name, and than there were several that I had never heard of but would love to own. The BSO is conducted by Marin Alsop who has a very large personality and it comes off when she is conducting. While watching her you know this is her art and her love she thoroughly enjoys the music and what she does. Savion is a true master of the art of tap dancing .I was amazed at his skill. He lets the music carry him and he loves what he does. He dances with a screw driver in his hand which was explained at the end in the Q&A session that its to tighten the taps on his shoes if they become loose.

He has this very relaxed body language while dancing not tense or even like he is remembering dance moves, but a very relaxed performance that is skilled. He came across as a master and while he performed Marin would look over her shoulder as he performed as to sneak a peak at his dancing which made the show even more entertaining, because she enjoyed his style of tap. The Meyerhoff is one of those things that I know exist but have not taken advantage of it and I feel shame because it is a beautiful building inside and a wonderful way to spend an evening. The show was wonderful with Savion and Marin receiving 2 standing ovations.

So now the show is over and they have a session of Q&A and that is when you realize that Marin has a very large personality. She has the personality that if you were to here that she had a talk show you would not be shocked. She was funny and personable. The Q&A session was great. Some had great questions and some not so great questions so it was worth staying behind the extra 25 -30 minutes her responses were worth it. I truly enjoyed my experience and would recommend seeing the BSO with Marin Alsop any day.
So I enjoyed my Valentines Day weekend I was able to experience new things and go to new places. If you have the chance to have either one of these experiences I would recommend them both.

The Day Of Love!!!!!

Since today is Valentines Day's I decided I would Blog on a saturday to talk about a love that has stood the test of time and lasted longer than most have lived.I read an article about Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher. Who have been married since May 13,1924, and if you are a little slow with math they have been married 84 years. Their granddaughter sent their information in to Guiness to see if that was a record., and it was they are the oldest living married couple. I enjoyed this article so much, I decided that I would share. Enjoy the article.
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!!!

A Craven County couple are in the Guinness World Records book.
The two did nothing outlandish such as sky-diving upside down, dancing for days, taking the longest lawn mower ride or having the most tattoos. No, Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher of the Brownsville community have been married for more than 84 years. That is a feat in itself. They have the world record of the longest marriage for a living couple. They can thank their granddaughter Iris Godette for getting the recognition. She submitted the information to the Guinness Book of Records.. The information was apparently checked by Guinness and a certificate was given to the couple. However, when you ask Herbert about the Guinness recognition, he just says, "Oh, Yeah?" The recognition has not changed their life. He still looks at her with love and concern, as she looks toward him as if he will give her strength and guidance. They have lived for more than 50 years in a house near the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport . They lived in James City before that but the land was purchased for apartments and the two moved.
Herbert was born June 10, 1905. His hearing is going but his mind is sharp. Zelmyra was born Dec. 10, 1907. She uses a walker to get around the house and yard. The two of them can still give their reasons for marrying on May 13, 1924.
"He was not mean; he was not a fighter," Zelmrya said. "He was quiet and kind. He was not much to look at but he was sweet."
Herbert said Zelmyra never gave him any trouble. "No! , no tro uble at all. We never argued, but we might have disagreed," he said.
Norma Godette, one of the couple's five children. said her parents have gotten along well through the years.
"One time, mama wanted to work. Daddy told her she could not work, that he could take care of the family. She slipped down to Cherry Point and got a job as a caretaker there," Godette said.
"Well, it was done; she got the job. I had to let it be," Herbert said.
Different religions did not tear the two apart. He is a member of Pilgrim Chapel Missionary Baptist Church . She is a member of Jones Chapel African Methodist E piscopal Zion Church . The churches are in James City , where they both grew up. For all of their married life they have attended their own churches. They go their own ways on Sunday morning.She reads the Bible daily. The two watch television together. "We separate when the baseball comes on," Zelmyra said.
Herbert loves baseball, especially the Atlanta Braves. He also enjoys golf, because one of his son-in-laws plays the game.
They have no secret or sage advice as to why their marriage has lasted so long. "I didn't know I would be married this long," Herbert said. "But I lived a nice holy life and go to church every Sunday.
"Yes sir, anything for her." Zelmyra said Herbert was the only boyfriend she ever had. "We got along good," she said. "There was no trouble." She said she is not tired of seeing him. "I didn't think I'd be married this long. He is quiet," she said. Zelmyra said her husband had no annoying habits. They both said they shared the title of "boss."
The two sit on the porch and as a train goes by they count the cars. They also watch the neighbors who walk by. "They were excellent parents," said Norma Godette. "We were poor, but we didn't do without a thing. If he had two cents he saved one cent."Herbert worked as a mechanic at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in New Bern for 35 years.
He took a bicycle, caught a cab or had a neighbor drive him to work.
That hard work and savings put all five of the children through college.
Inside the house are plaques, letters of recognition, and awards that both the Fishers and their children received for accomplishments in civic duties and church. The house where they raised their children has two sitting rooms and three bedrooms. Now that the children are grown, the Fishers enjoy having a bedroom for each. Herbert Fisher can stay up until the last ball is thrown in the ball game he is watching. And he does. Herbert makes his bed each day and sweeps his floor.
He also checks on his wife as she rests. Between the rests, they enjoy their children, ten grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews. Both say that if they had it to do over, they would not change their life.

article courtesy:sun journal
writer:francine sawyer

REMINDER

Ok Readers don’t forget to log onto http://www.whitehouse.gov/ to get an update on what’s going on with your government. We have to check these things periodically to stay abreast of the happenings. There is a BLOG and pictures there you can play catch up. They even have the text from his speeches up. So be in the KNOW!

Space Crash

I remember being a little girl in school and hearing my science teacher tell me that satellites would never collide because they are never in the same orbit, and that the geniuses that put them in orbit had that situation under control. The odds were 1,000,000 to one. Well, Well, Well earlier this week if you were a gambler you would have struck it rich if you bet on a collision. A U.S. communication satellite collided with a Russian satellite that is no longer in use. The collision happened over Siberia earlier this week. So now the space agency is worried that this will trigger other collisions, because now they have debris floating around up there. With the safety of future space missions in question because they will feel like it will be an issue with space shuttles coming in contact with debris and causing a major collision. WOW with all that happening the U.S. don’t have money to be cleaning up space. They can’t keep down the street from the white house clean…..LOL

????????

So what do you do when you want to make the best of what you have? You put in a lot of effort, time, and mental energy to make it the best and each effort seems to be shot down, because it seems to lack in one way or another? Maybe the person that shoots it down thinks that they are giving constructive criticism, are they genuine or do they shoot you down to keep you under control? Maybe its s something they are not familiar with so it cant be right, it has to be wrong because if it were right they would understand. How do you give your all to something that now seems like it’s draining almost like you are wasting your time and because its dear to you, you persevere but how much longer are you going to do that? Will what you do ever really be appreciated or is it always going to get looked over as an attempt to win? Is this some kind of weird test? Is this a how loyal are you quiz? Just having a REALLY weird day and decided I would pass on some of the questions running through my mind.

Is It Ever Ok for a Man to Hit a Woman?

Happy Hump Day!!!! Well it’s been the topic on every gossip site as well as news and TV shows. The Chris Brown Rihanna Debacle. These two pop stars have a tween and Teen age following and even though it isn’t there job to be role models some look up to them ,So it brings about a more important topic, Is It Ever Ok for a Man to Hit a Woman? What kind of message does this send to the younger generation? Do we as mothers want our sons to think its Ok to beat up there girlfriends? Do we want our daughters being punching bags? Do we want our son’s girlfriends to hit them and provoke them to anger, and how do we advise our kids to deal with these very real situations? Well I for one never felt as though it is right for a man to hit a woman, but than in a conversation it was brought up by a woman that she has intentionally provoked her man to hit her. I instantly thought of my son, how do I advise him to 1 avoid a crazy chic like her and 2 if he ends up in that situation I pray he find a way out without beating her. So than it leads me to believe that in some situations the male is actually the victim. I have said some things in an argument that I knew would push buttons sans why I don’t argue anymore, not worth the energy. So I have all kinds of scenarios in my head some right some not so right. I NEED YOUR HELP on this one. WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS IT EVER OK FOR A MAN TO HIT A WOMAN? HMMMMMM I look forward to your comments

Valentines Day

Well now is the time of year when people are racing the clock to be in some form of relationship for this Saturday “Valentines Day”. It’s the day of LOVE people want to be hit by cupid’s arrow. Some others are feeling the crunch of financial situations with the economy and aren’t sure if they will be able to do anything for their significant other. Well my personal opinion is that true love is understanding so if you can’t give a physical gift there are so many other ways to show appreciation and give affection to your loved one. You can give a full body massage to help them relax from the stressful work week, you can run bath water for your loved one, and for some of the lazier folks let them come home to a clean house, maybe cook dinner for them. We have so fallen into materialistic things that when we cannot provide them we feel bad. But your true love may not need a gift. They may just need to be near you and have your undivided attention because material things are great, but those moments where you can think back on you and his/her smiling or just enjoying each others company are a better memory and relationship builder. I love gifts, flowers, chocolates and so forth, but if he can’t afford to buy me those things. All he has to do is give me some time, maybe go for a ride, watch a movie, or do what couples do. Because I love experiences I am a journal writer so experiences are always good and fun to document. So as far as Valentines goes its great to give your love something material but if you can’t give them a memorable experience. It will last longer

Hello Kitty and MAC

For all of the make up lovers like myself who also have a closeted or open love for HELLO KITTY now is the time. There has been a perfect union between MAC cosmetics and HELLO KITTY. The line launched today and it is absolutely beautiful they also have make up accessories with the HELLO KITTY and MAC log’s on them. They have some sheer colors as well as pretty lipsticks in shades of pink and eye shadows in wonderful hues so if make up is your thing logon to http://www.maccosmetics.com/whats_new/collection.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CAT1227 and purchase because they are all limited edition and for a limited time only and once they are they will gone forever.

In The Cinemas This Weekend!!!!

Well let’s talk movies. This weekend I had the pleasure of taking in 2 movies I was able to enjoy the movie “Taken” which stars Liam Neeson. This movie is all that I expected it to be. For those of you that enjoy a good action movie with crazy car chases and awesome hand to hand combat I urge you to go and see “Taken”. This man goes above and beyond the call of duty to find his daughter. I think what I liked best about the movie is that none of his stunts were to outlandish, like I could see someone performing those stunts. He made sure he accomplished finding his daughter and getting her home so for all you action people I strongly recommend “Taken”.


Next movie up is “Push”. I enjoyed the storyline behind “Push” it has a cast of some new faces and some familiar ones but the effects in this one was good. It was a crazy sci fi theme with mutants and an organization (The Division) trying to control them and a race against time to change the future to a pleasant one. I have to say the little girl in this film Dakota Fanning was hilarious and good in her role she made you feel her plight. It also had Mr Djimon Hounsou in the role as a bad guy which he was pretty convincing. Overall I enjoyed this movie and the rollercoaster of action and strange mutants and their powers. So I would also recommend this for an action pack journey through Hong Kong where the movie was based.

So overall I enjoyed my movie experience this weekend and would recommend the 2 movies I saw this weekend.

PINK SLIP PARTY!!!

Happy Monday Morning Readers I hope you all had a great weekend, I know I did. Well in my weekend of reading and catching up I read on the new way to network for people who have been laid off. They call them Pink Slip Parties. It’s where unemployed professionals and sympathizers, recruiting firms, and direct hire companies all meet and network people have made contact as well as been hired for new jobs to make it thru in this uneasy job market. The Pink Slip Party Phenomenon has exploded in cities like Chicago, Seattle, New York, Denver, Philadelphia and DC. They started on Wall Street for people who was let go from struggling firms and the word spread. So when you attend one of these parties they give you a color coded bracelet at the door which identifies you as a job seeker, recruiter, or admissions rep. The people who organize these events are saying that the number of job seekers has grown, but they have seen a lot of success. So this is the new craze. I applaud people for being creative in this time where conventional ways are not working. I wish every one who attends these parties the best of luck.

ITS FRIDAY!!!

Readers I hope that you all enjoy your weekend. I know plenty of news will happen this weekend and we will have plenty to discuss some funny some not so funny. So have a ball. SEE YA ON MONDAY

Solar Eclipse

I just wanted to share some pictures that were emailed to me. On January26, 2009 there was a partial solar eclipse. I think these Pics are gorgeous.