Flu Shots. World Gratitude Day. Take A Hike! Turtles Hatching. Redneck Medical Terms. Spaniards Capture Baton Rouge. General Colin Powell.

 

For “Summary Saturday” or News, some new, some old, that you might not have seen:

Flu shot sales go up, but rates of flu infection remain high. What's going on? Don't ask the CDC.

Shooting in the dark

“I’m sure you’ve noticed that the flu shot is available EVERYWHERE these days. You can get a shot at your pharmacy, your grocery store, Target, Wal-Mart, etc.

Any year now, I expect mailmen and state troopers to start giving them.  Since you can get it anywhere you’re grabbing a gallon of milk or a pack of batteries, it’s no surprise that flu shot sales are through the roof.

So that should mean the number of people coming down with the flu is dropping sharply, right?  Well…no. As early as Thanksgiving last year they were calling the flu season “worse than usual.”

How can that be?

Because there’s a dirty little secret behind every flu vaccination that you’ll never see in all those ads.  Every year, you hear about people who get a flu shot but come down with the flu anyway. 

New evidence proves what we’ve believed for years — that people could actually come down with the flu because of the shot.  What we now know is that the shot makes them more vulnerable to the other flu strains lurking out there. 

Researchers found that people who had gotten a flu shot the year before were more likely to become sick with the H1N1 flu the following year.

And don’t look now, CDC, but in that same study, another shoe dropped…

Blood samples from children revealed something amazing. Compared to vaccinated kids, the unvaccinated produced MORE antibodies that offered protection against a wider array of flu strains.

That might not be enough proof for the CDC or Big Pharma or the store manager at WalMart. But for me it clearly answers the question, “Should I get a flu vaccine?” with a big, fat “NO!”"  From: Institute of Health Sciences. http://hsionline.com/2013/09/17/shooting-in-the-dark/   And: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/10/universal-flu-vaccine.aspx

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From me:  I have never had a flu shot or the flu, and I intend to keep it that way, if I can.

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What are YOU grateful for?

“Today is World Gratitude Day, started by the United Nations Meditation Group.  It is kind of like the dress rehearsal for Thanksgiving -- except your pants will still fit when it’s over.

Who has been an inspiration to your life? Have you thanked them today?

What do you value in your life? Who do you appreciate? How do you express your gratitude to others? Which parent, teacher or leader has had the most impact in your life?  Begin today to express your gratitude in every action you take.”

“Every day, think as you wake up, today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand my heart out to others; to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” ~ Dalai Lama

More at: http://www.gratituderocks.org/celebrate-world-gratitude-day-today-and-every-day/

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Be Grateful…..

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Get Ready to Hike

“NWF’s annual Hike & Seek is just around the corner (see below). Get ready with these tips that will make your next family hike the best yet!”

Get kid-friendly ideas for the best hike.

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Hatching of endangered leatherback sea turtles captured on video by beachgoer

“Amazingly, as many as 80 tiny turtles emerge from a spot in the sand at Vero Beach, Florida, in a National Geographic moment.  This video of sea turtles hatching will be the best thing you see all day.  Thank you, Rick Bryant for sharing with your friends who in turn, shared it on Facebook and it made its way here. ..Here's the link:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=564407943626810&set=vb.100001728280142&type=2&theater

When Rick Bryant went for a walk on the beach he wasn’t expecting anything too crazy.  But then he saw the sand moving, and soon there were baby turtles hatching and climbing out of the sand.  They began their descent to the ocean, and Rick captured it all.

Rick and his buddies’ narration makes it all the better, highlights including “does the light mean it’s recording?” and “SWIM! SWIM!”  His description under the video stated, “This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen…” and I can’t say that I disagree.       Via facebook

“I can’t believe we got here for this,” Bryant says on the video. “Look at them all.  I seen the dirt moving and next thing I know, they’re popping out like crazy.”

Indeed, the tiny turtles just kept coming.”

Here’s what NatGeo has to say about the leatherneck sea turtle .

Also, as cute as these little guys are now, check out how big these Leatherback Turtles get in adulthood.  WHAT!!

via kanaiolowalu.tumblr.com

They’re also critically endangered, so it’s best to watch these creatures from afar and respect their habitat.”

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Inside Nature's Giants : The Leatherback Turtle

If you are interested in seeing more about the Leatherbacks, here is a 45 minute video:  Warning: they do a necropsy on one.

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The Redneck Dictionary of Medical Terms

Benign:

What you be after you be eight.

Artery:

The study of paintings.

Bacteria:

Back door to cafeteria.

Barium:

What doctors do when patients die.

Cesarean Section:

A neighborhood in Rome.

CATscan:

Searching for kitty.

Cauterize:

Made eye contact with her.

Colic:

A sheep dog.

Coma:

A punctuation mark.

D & C:

Where Washington is.

Dilate:

To live long.

Enema:

Not a friend.

Fester:

Quicker than someone else.

Fibula:

A small lie.

Genital:

Non-Jewish person.

G.I. Series:

World Series of military baseball.

Hangnail:

What you hang your coat on.

Impotent:

Distinguished, well known.

Labor Pain:

Getting hurt at work.

Medical Staff:

A Doctor’s cane.

Morbid:

A higher offer than I bid.

Nitrates:

Cheaper than day rates.

Node:

I knew it.

Outpatient:

A person who has fainted.

Pap Smear:

A fatherhood test.

Pelvis:

Second cousin to Elvis.

Post Operative:

A letter carrier.

Recovery Room:

Place to do upholstery.

Rectum:

Damn near killed him.

Secretion:

Hiding something.

Seizure:

Roman emperor.

Tablet:

A small table.

Terminal Illness:

Getting sick at the airport.

Tumor:

More than one.

Urine:

Opposite of you’re out.

Varicose:

Near by/close by.

and more:

Aerobe: a garment worn around the house

Alimentary: what Sherlock Holmes said to Dr. Watson

Apparent: one who changes diapers

Carpal: someone you drive to work with

Castrate: the going price for setting a fracture

Chiropractor: An Egyptian doctor

Cystogram: A wire sent to your sister

Decapitate: to cancel a contract with an HMO

Denial: where Cleopatra used to swim

Dislocation: Here

Duct: avoided being hit

Elixir: what a dog does to his owner when she gives him a bone

Emetic: Italian ambulance driver

Fibula: little white lie

Genotype: the kind of girl Geno likes

Hippocampus: where a hippopotamus gets a degree

Inbred: the best way to eat bologna

Innuendo: where an Italian gastroenterologist puts his proctoscope

Intubate: what a fisherman is

Isodense: what a med student says after taking the national boards

Orifice: a place of business

Paradox: two physicians

Platelet: a saucer

Pleural: more than one

Sacral: holy

Thorax: weapon of a Norse God

Tolerance: the result of ants on growth hormone

Vitamin: what you do when friends stop by to visit

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On This Day:

Spaniards capture Baton Rouge, Sep 21, 1779:

“On this day in 1779, the Louisiana governor and Spanish military officer Bernardo de Galvez, with the aide of American troops and militia volunteers, captures the British post and garrison at Baton Rouge, located in what was then British-controlled West Florida.

In a cunning and brilliant move, de Galvez included in the terms of the British surrender of Baton Rouge that the British also surrender Fort Panmure at Natchez to Spanish control. Defeated and on the verge of utter annihilation, the British had no other choice but to accept the terms.

The Spanish capture of Baton Rouge and Fort Panmure ended British control of the Mississippi Valley and opened the Mississippi River to a Spanish supply line—running from the Gulf of Mexico to the Ohio Valley--that greatly benefited the American cause. De Galvez was then able to lay siege to the British-occupied city of Pensacola, Florida, in the spring of 1781, which ended in a British surrender on May 8.

Spain never officially signed an alliance with the American revolutionaries, as King Charles III was hesitant about the precedent he might be setting by encouraging the population of another empire to overthrow their monarch. However, Spain also wanted to regain Gibraltar in the Mediterranean from the British and solidify control of its North American holdings, so it allied itself to France in the international war against Britain. Spain regained West Florida during the fighting and East Florida, which it exchanged for the Bahamas, in the final peace. Though Gibraltar remained in British control, Spain also won all the land surrounding the Gulf of Mexico.”

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Powell becomes Joint Chiefs' chairman, Sep 21, 1989:

“The Senate Armed Forces Committee unanimously confirms President George H. Bush's nomination of Army General Colin Powell as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Powell was the first African American to achieve the United States' highest military post.

Powell was born in 1937 in Harlem, New York, to Jamaican immigrant parents. Joining the U.S. Army after college, he served two tours in Vietnam before holding several high-level military posts during the 1970s and 1980s. From 1987 to 1989, he was national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan and in 1989 reached the pinnacle of his profession when he was appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by President George Bush. As chairman, General Powell's greatest achievement was planning the swift U.S. victory over Iraq in 1991's Persian Gulf War. In 1993, he retired as chairman.

Two years later, he embarked on a national tour to promote his autobiography, My American Journey, fueling speculation that he was testing the waters for a possible presidential campaign. By the fall of 1995, public enthusiasm over the possibility of his running for president had reached a feverish pitch. Regarded as a moderate Republican, opinion polls showed Powell trailing close behind Republican favorite Bob Dole and favored over Democratic incumbent Bill Clinton. However, in November 1995, he announced that he would not run for president in the next election, citing concerns for his family's well-being and a lack of passion for the rigors of political life.

From 1997, he served as chairman of "America's Promise--The Alliance for Youth," a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building the character and competence of young people. In December 2000, Powell was appointed the first African American U.S. secretary of state by President-elect George W. Bush. Unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, he was sworn in on January 20, 2001 and held that position until January 26, 2005. He was succeeded by Condoleezza Rice.”

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Yesterday:

Misty and I went to get Jay and had our stroll down there.  Ray came over and caulked a few places while Jay and I were getting set up to put the screen on the screen porch. 

First, we had to rearrange some things in the vintage motorhome, “Pugsy”, as there was a heat/air conditioner on the workshop table that we wanted to use.  I really expected that AC to be sold by now, but it was still taking up space on our work table, so we put it in the big back door of poor old Pugsy.  What would we do without her.  (Yes, this motorhome is a she!)

Just as we were going to begin cutting the screen wire on the table, it started raining, so we all moved into the screen porch.  There were gaps up by the roof rafters which needed to be screened, and doing that part from the inside was the only way to go.  We could have stapled it on the outside, but then there would be a ledge for the cats to perch on, and possibly ‘lean’ the screen out.  Best to stop that before it starts.  There are other shelves and ledges that they can get up on out there.  This took a lot of measuring and cutting the screen to fit around the rafters, but we got it done. 

When I went to take a picture to explain what we did, the camera battery was dead, AGAIN.  I charged it up, but it still wouldn’t work.

In the afternoon it really came down torrents, and there were some drips on the screen porch.  We are going to have to put some butyl tape strips between the roof polycarbonate panels, on a non-rainy day.