************

Focus...

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 06:03:54 GMT

Focusing my interest on AIDS right now. A fellow art student, Sam Thomas, leant me a book on AIDS by his dad (an infectious disease expert... score!). I am going to sit down and peruse it a bit tonight. Also, gotta continue my search for information on bug chasers.

Anyway, just making a note to myself to FOCUS YOUR INTEREST... that's right. One thing at a time. One.

Unt yah, that ees vall.

la de da....

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 09:32:30 GMT

Just perusing my new favorite website and I found this interesting little gem...

---------------------------------------------------
A Spanish pathologist who specialized in a human strain of mad cow
disease died Saturday [28 Mar 2009], and officials suspect the
disease played a role in his death, officials said. The doctor was
head of the anatomy pathology section at the University Hospital
Principe de Asturias in Alcala de Henares, outside of Madrid,
according to the Madrid regional government's health office. He died
Saturday night, at the hospital where he worked, officials said. The
doctor's name was not released at the request of his family.

Several samples have been sent off for testing, the office said, but
results are expected to take a month. The doctor was well known both
in and outside Spain for his work in the pathology field. His
specialty was the human strain of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease [variant
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease].

It is not known how the doctor might have contracted the disease, but
the health office said it was not thought to be through ingestion of
contaminated meat. Authorities are investigating whether the doctor
had been exposed to contaminated human tissue through his work.

Since 2001, 702 Creutzfeldt-Jakob cases have been reported in Spain,
of which 87 have been reported in Madrid. Five people have died [as a
result of contracting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. - Mod.CP]

--
Communicated by:
Merritt Clifton
Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE
PO Box 960
Clinton, WA 98236
USA

Prions are fascinating. They are actually proteins, the only kind known to cause disease. They cannot be destroyed, as far as I know. Any surgical equipment used on a patient with a prion disease cannot be used a second time. It is suspected that many cases are diagnosed as Alzheimers and thus the actual scope of the problem is vastly larger than what is reported.

Note to self: Return to this website. Membership

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:37:31 GMT

http://www.promedmail.org/

So this little journal is going to be active again... sort of

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:11:35 GMT

I am needing a place to keep track of all this stuff I read online. After all, it's what my artwork draws from so it's about time I start keeping some records.

So anyway, if you like medical things, then read on, but mostly this is for me and as ongoing research for my artwork.

K. Today's exploration was about Rabies and to a smaller extent, Filoviridae, and HIV. I am still on the hunt for more information on bug chasers (gay men who purposefully seek out HIV positive men who are willing to infect them). I will post my results on that tomorrow.

Chinese lapdog link- journeyman pictures (China rabies statistics)

Articles

http://www.wormsandgermsblog.com/articles/diseases/rabies/
More stories, but the following caught my eye:

FATAL NEEDLE PHOBIA: RABIES IN BALI
POSTED ON APRIL 2, 2009 BY SCOTT WEESE
ProMed mail reports two more rabies fatalities in an ongoing outbreak in Bali, Indonesia. The first person was bitten by a stray dog, which always must be considered a potential rabies exposure, especially in an area where an outbreak is underway. He received one rabies shot but did not undergo the whole post-exposure series because of a fear of needles, and he died.

The second person was bitten by both a stray and a pet dog, another clear indication for post-exposure treatment. She refused treatment because of a fear of needles, and also died of rabies.
These were two completely preventable deaths. The decision to forgo treatment almost certainly cost these people their lives - rabies is preventable with appropriate and timely post-exposure treatment. These cases also highlight the need for proper education of the public when it comes to rabies, both in terms of avoiding strays and the need for prompt attention when there's potential exposure to the disease. I have no idea how forcefully medical or public health personnel explained the need for proper treatment. For people that want to decline treatment, aggressive and comprehensive education is needed. Ultimately, people are allowed to make bad decisions, but we need to make sure they at least make informed bad decisions.

There are various other concerning issues with this outbreak, particularly the government's response to it. Multiple sources have apparently advised the government that aggressive vaccination and halting of dog movement between the peninsula and the mainland could contain this outbreak. So far, this has not been done. Amazingly, importing rabies vaccine into Bali was illegal until December 2008, and it is still illegal to vaccinate dogs outside of the outbreak area! The cost of vaccination has been used as an excuse not to do so. Certainly, financial issues are important in developing countries. However, the estimated cost is only about $0.50 US per dog. When one considers that this area is highly dependent on the tourist industry, they need to consider this as an investment to maintain their economy. Would you like to spend your vacation in an area with an ongoing rabies outbreak?

*

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2398566
Case of heightened libido in a woman with rabies.
PDF download. Free.

*

From The Irish World:
Belfast woman dies of rabies
A woman of 35 has died at a Belfast hospital after catching rabies while she was abroad. By Shelley Marsden - 07/01/09

Lisa McMurray had been seriously ill in isolation at the ICU of the Royal Victoria Hospital after she was diagnosed with the fatal condition last month.

The woman had been to South Africa several times over the last two years, and started ti feel ill when she got home from her last trip a few months ago.

It is believed she caught the deadly virus from a scratch or bite from one of the dogs that she was working with in an animal sanctuary there.

Her family confirmed her death in a statement. Her three brothers said they were heartbroken at their sister’s death, but very proud of her courage when facing the illness.
.
In a family statement, they said: "We are devastated by the loss of our sister Lisa. We are extremely proud not only of all she achieved in life but also of the bravery with which she fought her illness.

"Her courage was inspiring and typical of the passionate and determined way in which she led her life. Her loss will leave a huge hole in all our lives and her family and friends will miss her terribly."

Lisa might have caught the infection as long ago as December 2006, while working in the South African animal sanctuary. Emails she sent home at the time told of how she was scratched while separating two fighting dogs.

When one of these dogs began foaming at the mouth, it had to be put down.

In the UK, rabies is a very rare condition. Since 1946, only 23 cases have been reported, and every one of the infections was picked up abroad. IN Northern Ireland, the last case was in 1938.

There are no recorded cases anywhere across the globe of of human-to-human transmission of rabies.
(note: the data above is false! There are records of human to human transmission. Do your homework people.)

*

From the Charlotte Observer:

Bat that bit Gaston woman had rabies

By Joe DePriest
Posted: Wednesday, Mar. 18, 2009
A bat that bit a Gaston County woman on the thumb has tested positive for rabies, authorities said Tuesday.

It was the county's first confirmed rabies case of the year.

According to animal control officials, Keo Sivilay of Gastonia reported that she was bitten by the bat March 12 while working at the Parkdale Mill in Mount Holly.

Animal Control authorities processed the bat for testing at the State Diagnostics Lab in Raleigh. Lab officials reported Monday the bat had tested positive for rabies.

Animal control officials will canvass the area where the incident occurred, going door to door to tell residents what happened and to verify pet rabies vaccinations.

More stuff tomorrow, running out of time right now.

REMEMBER: look http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTVdb/Ictv/fs_filov.htm
Various strains documented by links

Derivation of Name
Ebola: from the river Ebola, in Sudan and Zaire where one of the first registered outbreaks of the disease occurred
Filo: from Latin filum, "thread-like", to indicate the morphology of virus particles
Marburg: from the town of Marburg in Germany where the fisrt known outbreakes of Filoviridae diseases occurred and where Filoviridae have been discovered.

List of strains:

01.025.0.01.001. Lake Victoria marburgvirus (Self Note: Lake V biggest in Africa, country?)
(was Marburg virus ) (MARV)
01.025.0.01.005.00.000.001. strain Musoke (Kenya, 1980) [Z12132]
01.025.0.01.005.00.000.002. strain Ratayczak (West Germany, 1967)
01.025.0.01.005.00.000.003. strain Popp (West Germany, 1967)
01.025.0.01.005.00.000.004. strain Voege (Yugoslavia, 1967)
01.025.0.01.005.00.000.005. strain Ozolin (Zimbabwe, 1975)
01.025.0.01.005.00.000.006. strain Marburg Ravn (Kenya, 1987)

01.025.0.02.005. Ivory Coast ebolavirus
(was Cote d’Ivoire Ebola virus) (CIEBOV)
01.025.0.02.005.00.000.001. strain Cote d’Ivoire (Tai Forest, 1994)
01.025.0.02.002. Reston ebolavirus (was Reston Ebola virus) (REBOV)
01.025.0.02.002.00.000.001. strain Reston (1989)
01.025.0.02.002.00.000.002. strain Philippines (1989)
01.025.0.02.002.00.000.003. strain Siena (1992)
01.025.0.02.002.00.000.004. strain Texas (1996)
01.025.0.02.003. Sudan ebolavirus (was Sudan Ebola virus) (SEBOV)
01.025.0.02.003.00.000.001. strain Boniface (1976)
01.025.0.02.003.00.000.002. strain Maleo (1979)
01.025.0.02.004. Zaire virus (was Zaire Ebola virus) (ZEBOV)
01.025.0.02.004.00.000.001. strain Mayinga (Zaire, 1976) [J04337]
01.025.0.02.004.00.000.002. strain Zaire (Zaire, 1976)
01.025.0.02.004.00.000.003. strain Eckron (Zaire, 1976)
01.025.0.02.004.00.000.004. strain Tandala (Zaire, 1977)
01.025.0.02.004.00.000.005. strain Kikwit (Zaire, 1995)
01.025.0.02.004.00.000.006. strain Gabon (Zaire, 1994-1997

TO DO
-Note: What is the 1976 Marburg incident? I still can't find this incident or what it is.

-Man in Wisconsin (?): 1st case of Marburg in the USA (traveler). Lived. Is this on WHO site? Don't remember seeing it. Check WHO records.

-Look for information on Bug Chasers. Documentaries? BBC; I Love Being HIV+, The Gift

-Look over dl TB book Airborne; WHO publication

- Second Rabies survivor!!!!!!!!!!!!! Info. Hoorah.

-Start tackling some of the listed Filoviridae strains. More info.

Two Toed Art Schools

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 18:22:26 GMT

Wow... I've never seen so much art in one place. Well, besides in a museum perhaps. They even had their own separate fine arts library. The open house allowed us to wander anywhere we pleased, however the studios and classrooms were all set aside for exhibitions by graduating students. Each graduate appeared to have their own room, which was neat. Unfortunately, I'm no fan of installation art. Some of it was interesting, but I suppose I hail from a more traditional background and thus favor that kind of art.

The program appears to be set up so that the first two years are typical of art school, drawing and painting classes, art history courses etc... But the final two years differ from what I've seen elsewhere. Each student moves onto their own pursuits guided by the tutors there. It's like a prolonged, 2 year, independent study. Now that's something I found impressive. Having done independent study in the past, I found it to be my favorite way to learn. It's not totally self driven. Ideas are presented to the teacher and they kind of guide you towards paths that cater to that idea, but for the most part, it's very quiet and personal. If I want to continue favoring traditional art, then I'm more than welcome to do that. =)

Shannon and Matt joined us. While Michael and Matt wandered around the mac store nearby, Shannon and I roamed around Elam drooling over the seemingly endless supply of art books, the enormous art store, the lecture halls, and rambling buildings (one of which is a former children's hospital... *leaps up in excitement*). If ever Shannon was hesitant to apply before, she's not now. As soon as we walked into that library she had already decided to go.

At any rate, there were other things done that day. We had Subway which was situated in a really old building. It was a tad bizarre. There was a two toed pigeon wandering about the dinning area. We theorized that patrons are expected to roast their own dinners over the coals, namely the stray pigeons we spotted. Better yet, just eat 'em raw.

Other than that, Matt and Shannon checked out some housing they had been looking into previously. They are going to be quite far away in a suburb called Albany. Auckland is a big city, and not all that well designed. It sprawls in all directions rather chaotically gobbling up all the little farms in its wake.

On the way back, we stopped by the beach, but we couldn't stay long as Matt had to be home for a performance (he's in a play about ballet dancing rugby players), Shannon went to a birthday party, and Michael and I needed to get the car back home.

So here's the main fine arts building

And another one.

Various images of the campus. I didn't feel comfortable taking too many as there were exhibits everywhere and I'm not sure if I was allowed to take photos or not.

The Library! It looks small, but consider that it's all art books.

Okay now for some silly stuff...

Elleephannts Ya!

Oh My.

Monkey Boys.

Hello.

Life is just a waste of death, breathing is a waste of breathe. Oh the pains of being emo. ;)

But don't worry, should I grow to emo, Shannon is always willing to eat my brains and end my suffering.

We is happy couple. This is happy marriage.

On top of the former children's hospital.

Ain't they cute?

The other day we found some pukekos and their babies.

Just some old beach photos from about a month ago.

A weird sand sculpture we found.

Michael wet and tired after skim boarding.

meme

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 21:42:20 GMT

starfish82 posted this ages ago and I felt like doing it randomly.

10 weird facts about myself... there are some other rules but I forgot to paste them. =/

1) I moved to SLC, with out informing anyone I knew, for 6 months. I lived in a studio apartment on South Temple street across the street from a replica of a European catholic cathedral. The bells rang the time each hour.

2) I was once trapped in the house of an angry Pakistani lady.

3) I went to Ireland and paid the bill with money earned from selling my 150 my little ponies on a collector's message board.

4) I met my husband online, proceeded to get engaged 6 months later, then took off to New Zealand, got married, then informed my parents of that fact.

5) My first show and tell was a picture I drew of a black rat. I then told the story of the black plague, but being 5, it probably was a bit off. The teacher told me what I said never happened and I got really upset and my dad got really angry and still recalls my being told I was lying.

6) I currently live in a former recording studio.

7) My dog can walk backwards. According to the vet that is physically impossible, but not for Gemma it isn't.

8) My cat comes to the sound of a whistle.

9) I once glued my teeth to a lamp and gave it to someone as a gift.

10) I have scar on my shoulder that people think is a smallpox vaccination scar. It looks exactly like one and for that reason, I intend to keep it for the rest of my life, even if it is ugly.

Thu, 29 Dec 2005 04:34:01 GMT

I _________________________________ .

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 02:59:57 GMT

IT'S SNOWING. It snowed hard, the wind is really strong, the pond in the park is thickly iced over so that people were ice skating and walking on it.

pictures soon

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 07:32:39 GMT

just take a look... you won't regret it, I promise

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:47:51 GMT

I'm here on campus... it's dead. Dead dead dead. I am sure the influenza hit because honest to god, walking to the testing center the leaves sounded like they were using a megaphone, the windows of every building were dark, not a soul was around not even a voice, and it was cold and windy so that just added to the apocolyptic feel of it all. This is a large place so its like walking through a mini town with no people in it.

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 06:01:13 GMT

I posted this years ago in an old journal but I still like it so I'll re-post it. I love listening to people.

A man discussing a kids costume:
"So he shows up my door and I don't know what to make of him. It made no sense. The kid had a shirt with "I blink therefore I am" scribbled in marker on it. He wrapped blinking x-mas lights around him
and then hooked them to a battery pack. It was bizarre."

Another man discussing Mr. Rodgers:
"He always starts the show by coming home and hanging up his coat like he's going to relax. But he never takes off his tie. He puts his sweater over his tie. How is that relaxing? Okay, I've hung up my coat, now I'm going to put on my red cashmere and anything goes."

A one eyed girl discussing middle school:
"The highlight of my sixth grade year was when a girl came up to talk to me under a bridge. Everyone hated me so I was so happy to talk to someone. Then we got out from under the bridge and she said, they might see me so I can't talk to you anymore. I was devastated."

belated but here...

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 03:08:46 GMT

when I went to the Harry Potter GoF midnight showing I dressed as Narcissa Malfoy. Here ye go...

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 18:59:06 GMT

I had a strange flashback. When I was a kid, my mom couldn't afford to get my gloves most the time for cold weather. Her solution was "put socks on your hands", and I did when it was too cold to resist, but let me tell you, it wasn't very cool to be the kid at school with socks on your hands. In general I'd walk to school with them, and when I got there, I'd quickly hide them in my backpack.

from my friend's test...

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 06:22:40 GMT

"an on license is NOT suitable for a means of conveyance, eg, a car, bus, plane, hovercraft or helicopter"

you must need a special license for hovercraft!

Sun, 04 Dec 2005 18:45:43 GMT

I'm at work and I wanna' go home!

christmas themes

Tue, 29 Nov 2005 03:29:11 GMT

how do you like my new icon eh?

Sun, 06 Nov 2005 05:14:27 GMT

this is very hard to update these days seeing as I have a journal in paper form. I seriously can't think of anything to say.

here:

Rumplestilskin... the end.

I'm a what?

Fri, 28 Oct 2005 19:51:42 GMT

I posted this bc it's probably the most confusing quiz result I've ever recieved. Um..

You're GI Joe with the Kung Fu Grip!! You're
strong, tough, and know how to kick some ass.
Don't forget though, no matter how manly you
think you are, you're still just a doll. God
Bless America.

What childhood toy from the 80s are you?
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Picture time

Thu, 27 Oct 2005 22:17:01 GMT

A day at the corn maze, or more accurately, an afternoon and night...

Here is the pumpkin patch at Kruger Farm on Sauvie's Island. Scenic.

..and here we are standing in it.

One more of me, in the pumpkin patch, with hair all over my face.

A corn field we found. I took a picture of Krista walking in it. Notice one side dead, the other alive.

Krista took a picture of my ass jumping in the corn. =/

After a dinner of ribs, hot dogs, toffee peanuts, potato salad, and italian sodas we decided to go in the corn maze.

Once inside, we met up with the living dead and became zombies.

Luckily the bonfire treated our condition

And krista looks all the better for it.

I don't

We ended up joining the exodus of cars leaving the island after a cup of hot apple cider.

Unfortunately, it took us procrastinators four more days to get the actual pumpkins carved, and when we did carve them, we didn't take our time doing it.

oh smarterchild...

Tue, 11 Oct 2005 08:21:12 GMT

I love thee...

me: "Yes... you wretched thief."

smarterchild: "Stephen Klein is Chief Executive Officer at Conversagent, Inc."

(for those who are ignorant smarterchild is a chat robot)

LOLOLOL

Mon, 10 Oct 2005 20:42:45 GMT

I just re-read The Masque of the Read Death for the first time since I was six. Well, when I was six my dad read it to me because I was obsessed with the plague but anyhow I re-read it anyway. I just loved this story to shreds, it was my bed time story, and I brought it for show and tell in first grade and tried to get the teacher to read it to the class which didn't work out.

This is the last paragraph...

"And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in despairing posture of his fall. And in the life of the oebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And the Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable domination over all."

Oh man...

a bit of lightness to lift my mood

Fri, 07 Oct 2005 06:35:15 GMT

PALPATINE: (continuing) Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Wonka "the wise"?

ANAKIN: No.

PALPATINE: I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Wonka was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create chocolate ... He had such a knowledge of the dark side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from diabetes.

ANAKIN: He could actually save people from diabetes?

PALPATINE: The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many recipes some consider to be delicious and unnatural.

ANAKIN: What happened to him?

PALPATINE: He became so powerful and so obese. . . the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice hid his insulin and he died. (smiles) Wonka never saw it coming. It's ironic he could save others from diabetes, but not himself.

ANAKIN: Is it possible to learn this power?

PALPATINE: Not from a Jedi.

well i guess i might as well...

Wed, 05 Oct 2005 05:04:10 GMT

I should keep everyone up to date now that the weird activity is back in action. Tonights show was a flying drawer. I did't get to witness this one in person. I was turned around, I heard a crash, and there lay my drawer halfway across the room on the floor. It was one of those little plastic organizer drawers so it wasn't too dramatic, but it was still a rather large object to remove itself from its place and fling itself across the room.

of fire hydrants and poltergeists

Tue, 04 Oct 2005 05:10:45 GMT

news in the past few days:

I saw a broken fire hydrant shooting water into the street late at night on sunday

I missed the last bus into town that night and had to walk my way into the city

Oh and on that same evening I saw a plate move across a table all by itself. My coworker saw it too. All the way, one side of the table to the other. Not a finger touching it.

Sun, 02 Oct 2005 01:45:00 GMT

I thought I would post this because I have no idea what a folkie is...

You are a Folkie. Good for you.

What kind of Sixties Person are you?
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