Swine Flu: Another Problem with Uncontrolled Borders

I’ve seen a lot of media hand wringing over the latest Thing We All Must Fear, swine flu. Seems like it is coming into the US from Mexico – yet another pathology resulting from this uncontrolled border. From Yahoo News:

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Governments around the world rushed on Sunday to check the spread of a new type of swine flu that has killed up to 81 people in Mexico and infected around a dozen in the United States.

Mexicans huddled in their homes while U.S. hospitals tracked patients with flu symptoms and other countries imposed health checks at airports as the World Health Organization warned the virus had the potential to become a pandemic.

In New Zealand, 10 pupils from an Auckland school party that had returned from Mexico were being treated for influenza symptoms in what health authorities said was a likely case of swine flu, although they added none was seriously ill.

And a rather interesting point:

The new flu strain, a mixture of various swine, bird and human viruses, poses the biggest risk of a large-scale pandemic since avian flu surfaced in 1997, killing several hundred people. A 1968 “Hong Kong” flu pandemic killed about 1 million people globally.

When I read “a mixture of various swine, bird and human viruses“, the paranoid in me wonders if this new virus has been engineered in a lab. Now this would be something to panic about.

And here is a story saying this virus may have sickened children in a New York City school.

Seems this virus spreads fom person to person like seasonal flu. Uncontrolled borders result in movement of people who may be carrying this, and/or other diseases. Not Good.

4H / FFA at Prescott, AZ Rodeo Grounds

There was a 4H / Future Farmers of America show at the Prescott Rodeo Grounds April 24 & 25, 2009. These showcase livestock raised by young people. We went and got some photos. Overall I liked the goats. They appeared to be interested in folks walking around and the one below almost seemed to enjoy being photographed.

Goat Face

Black and White Goat

Young Bull

Allergy Easy Update

Sometime back I posted that I am trying an allergy treatment called Allergy Easy. I have reached my maintenance dosage (10 drops twice per week) and did a doctor visit this week. I had a bad reaction to the full strength serum the first day I used it (2 drops). I was able to handle it with a high dose of antihistamines and decongestants. I’ve had allergy and breathing problems for years, when it gets bad and I’m not getting enough air I’ve learned not to panic but to “hit the problem really hard” with medication. This time I did not need to use my inhaler nor  my epi pen.

This time of year is my worst for allergies. While my allergies are really bad, they are significantly less bad than they were at this time last year and less bad than I expected. So, the Allergy Easy treatment has helped me. I’m 4 months into a 2 year program with it. So far I believe it has helped me.

I am still taking 3 allergy medications, thought at lower dosages than at this time last year. When I was at the doctor’s, he told me to back off on the medications at the beginning of summer and see how I feel.

Photos From Patriots Day 2009 in Prescott, AZ

Patriots Day Display

We went to the Patriots Day celebration at the Prescott Courthouse. Here’s a few photos I took.

Charly Gullet, Event Organizer

Patriots Day Crowd

Gary Talking with Man Holding "Besty Ross" Flag

Prescott AZ Earth Day 2009 And Chalk Drawings

There were a couple of things going on in Prescott, AZ this Saturday 4/18/2009. Earth Day was observed in Granite Creek Park, and people were creating chalk drawings in the bank parking lot at Sheldon and Montezuma Streets.

Earth Day 2009

Chalk Drawing 1

Chalk Drawing 2

Chalk Drawing 3