Saturday, May 02, 2009

What a Great Baseball Evening

We had great seats for last night's game with Oakland. It was a sunny and warm evening, an outstanding game with three homeruns, some good defense and pitching and the game was decided with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Felix Hernandez threw the two boys a baseball each, and they had hot dogs, peanuts and a treat, too. This year the Mariners have been really fun to watch and not just because they're winning. They're also moving runners over, playing good defense, and the clubhouse seems to have an energy that's been missing for a few years. Last night I really had the feeling that they expected to win, even when they went down 6-1 early. Though he's started out slow, it is fun to have Ken Griffey Junior back - and he seems to be a big reason the dugout atmosphere has improved so much. There are few more pleasant ways to spend a warm spring evening than soaking in the atmosphere of Safeco Field.
Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Thought for Today

“We like people for their beauty , but we love them for their flaws.”

                                                                  --anon.

Talk amongst yourselves…

Frankenstein-1.jpg image by pinkflgizzle

Swine Flu Reaches Washington State

State Health Officials announced tonight that six cases believed to be the H1N1 Swine Flu have occurred in Washington.  The cases include three in Seattle, two in Snohomish County and one in Spokane County.  The patients are a boy who attends Madrona Elementary School, 33-year-old Seattle physician, and a man in his mid-twenties, all in Seattle;  a six-year-old boy and a woman in her early forties have been found in Snohomish County. The case in Spokane was identified only as an adult male.

School Districts are monitoring the situation and will send announcements home if any school closures occur. 

The best protective measures for people are to avoid contact with others who have the flu, and to practice good hygiene throughout the day – especially washing the hands often (sanitizers are also effective).  Swine flu is much milder than the avian flu varieties that have produced such concern in recent years.  Swine flu, however, is much easier to catch than avian flu.  It can be spread through coughs, sneezes and even infected surfaces. 

There are two drugs – both antiviral agents – that appear to be effective against swine flu.  The drugs are  Tamiflu and Relenza.  King County currently has 190,000 doses of Tamiflu  which can be used to treat people infected with or exposed to swine flu. The US Department of Health and Human Services is also sending another 260,000 courses of Tamiflu from the federal stockpile, released today.

Some links with good planning information and a more complete summary of tonight’s news conference by Washington State officials:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2009148457_webflucases29.html

Planning for Your Family in a Pandemic

http://www.seattlepi.com/local/405705_waswine30.html?source=rss

http://www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/preparedness/pandemicflu.aspx

You Little…

27K39

WHO Raises Pandemic Flu Alert Level to Phase 5

“GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert for swine flu to the second highest level, meaning that it believes a global outbreak of the disease is imminent.”

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE”

Associated Press Breaking News

CDC Swine Flu Press Briefing – April 28, 2009

Some excerpts from today’s CDC swine flu briefing by Dr. Richard Besser of the CDC:

“There are 64 confirmed cases in the United States in five states.  45 in New York, one in Ohio, two in Kansas, six in Texas and ten in California.  What we… have been seeing (in the U.S.)so far, has been milder, has been less severe than what has been reported out of Mexico.  There have now been five hospitalized cases.  The incubation period in the United States appears to be about two to seven days, which is typical for what you see with an influenza virus.”

(http://www.cdc.gov/media/transcripts/2009/t090428.htm)

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Expedition Grizzly

An interesting show coming up on National Geographic follows a man and his bear friend Brutus on a year-long exploration of Yellowstone Country bears.  Among the many interesting photos and comments on the website, I particularly enjoyed this one from the Q&A Section:

“What have you learned from Grizzly Bears?

Insight from Brutus: If it is physically possible, then it is done. If not, it isn't.
After weighing a boulder in at one ton, we used a tractor to lift it to place a piece of salmon under it. Soon after, Brutus caught the scent of the salmon and walked to the boulder. In one swift move, he pushed the boulder to the side and happily devoured the salmon. Then it dawned on me as I stood next to my friend.  He doesn't worry much; he is not handicapped by his mind. If his body isn't capable of doing it, then that is his only limitation. He does not sit there and contemplate, or make excuses; he just does all he can. Then goes and takes a nap in the sunshine.

How great would it be if we could all live that way?”

The National Geo website is: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/expedition-grizzly-3909/Overview1#tab-photo-albums

Sunshine on Discovery Bay

Sunshine on Discovery Bay
As always, the photos we use are either my own, or in the public domain. Please let me know if there are any errors and I'll correct them immediately.