Luke_Wilbur

I got my first response. So I have decided to rephrase my question. Dear Senator Obama, Understanding that you were a constitional law professor and respect our Constitution. What is your opinion of being in Contempt of Congress when Executive privlege used? http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/lukewilbur

I agree with Human. Right or wrong we have committed our nation to the war in Iraq. We owe it to the soldiers and citizens of Iraq who gave their lives for this cause. But, we need to somehow get the government of Iraq moving a little faster in securing hostile areas. We also need to give Iraqis more jobs and basic utilities before they lose faith in us. Finally, as long as US armed forces are in Iraq their governemtn should pay our country's military expenses with their oil revenue.

Senator Obama, If you get elected as President of our great country what position would you take on Executive privilege and do you believe that being in Contempt of Congress trumps Executive privlege? I wrote this same question on a Blog that I set up on Senator Obama's web site http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/p...lukewilbur/CppP Bling Bling or anyone please forward this message to Senator Obama.

Resolution Recommending That the House of Representatives Find Harriet Miers and Johua Bolten, Cheif of Staff, White House, In Contempt of Congress For Refussal to Comply With Supoenas Duly Issued by the Committee on the Judiciary Mr. Conyers, from the Committee on the Judiciary submitted the following Report together with Additional Views The form of Resolution that the Committee on the JUdiciary would recommend to the House of Representatives for citing former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Josua Bolton for contempt of Congress pursuant to this Report as follows: Resolved, That pursuant to 2 U.S.C 192 and 194, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall certify the report of the Committee on the Judiciary, detailing the refusal of former White House Counsel Harriet Miers to appear before the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law of the Committee on the Judiciary as directed by subpoena, to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, to the end that Ms. Miers be proceeded against in the manner and form provided by law Background and Explanation I. Background of Committee Investigation and Requests for Information from the White House and Harriet Miers A. House Judiciary Committee Hearings Beginning in March 2007, the House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law have held a number of hearings on the U.S. Attorney terminations and related issues. These have included: U.S. Attorneys and William Moschella. On March 6, 2007, six of the terminated U.S. Attorneys and William E. Moschella, Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, among others, testified before the Subcommittee. At this hearing (and in private briefings on February 28 and March 5 to Subcommittee members and staff that proceeded it), Mr. Moschella testified, inter alia, as to the Justice Department's then-claimed reasons for firing U.S. Attorneys. The terminated U.S. Attorneys testified inter alia, that they had not been given reasons for their firing and, among other matters, responded to some of the Department's asserted reasons for their firing, and discussed political and other factors that may have been related to their firing. H.R. 580, Restoring Checks and Balances in the Confirmation Process of U.S. Attorneys: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law of the House Committee on the Judiciary, 110th Congress (2007) (prepared statement of Carol C. Lam et al.) The six former U.S. Attorneys who testified were Ms. Lam, Mr. Iglesias, Mr. Cummins, Mr. McKay, Mr. Bogden and Mr. Charlton. The other witnesses included the following: Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA); former Representative Asa Hutchinson (R-AR); John A. Smietanka, a former United States Attorney for the Western District of Michigan; George Terwilliger, former Deputy Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice; T.J. Halstead, Legislative Attorney, American Law Division, Congressional Research Service; and Atlee W. Wampler, III, President of the National Association of Former United States Attorneys. Ensuring Executive Branch Accountability. On March 29, 2007, the Subcommittee heard testimony about the validity of White House assertions concerning executive privlege in the U.S. Attorney controversy. Beth Nolan, former White House Counsel under President Clinton, indicated that she testified four times before congressional Committees on matters directly related to her White House duties, including three times while she was serving that position. James Comey. On May 3, 2007, former Deputy Attorney General James Comey testified before the Subcommittee. Alberto Gonzales. On May 10, 2007, Attorney General Gonzales appeared before the full Judiciary Committee for an oversight hearing that focused on the U.S. Attorneys controversy. Monica Goodling. After a grant of limited use immunity, Monica Goodling, former Senior Counsel to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the Department's White House Liason, appeared before the full Committee on May 23, 2007. Paul McNulty. On June 21, 2007, Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty testified before the Subcommittee. Harriet Miers. Former White House Counsel Harriet Miers refused to comply with a subpoena requiring her appearance before the Subcommittee on July 12, 2007. Ms. Miers not only failed to provide testimony or documents, but she also failed to appear for the hearing. Subcommittee Chair Sanchez proceeded to overrule Ms. Miers' claims of immunity and privlege and her rulling was sustained by Subcommittee members in a recorded vote of 7 to 5. B. Justice Department Documents and Staff Interviews On March 8 2007, Chairman Conyers and Subcomittee Chair Sanchez wrote to the Attorney General requesting documents and interviews with Department of Justice personnel concerning the U.S. Attorney matter. Pursuant to that request, the Committee has received and reviewed thousands of pages of Justice Department documents. Many documents were initially produced in redacted form, with Committee staff being granted a limited right to review the unredacted documents on Department premises. Additional Committee efforts to obtain additional documents voluntarily, included letters of March 22, March 28. and April 2, 2007. were not successful. On April 10, 2007, the Committee issued a subpeona to the Department for full production of all relevant documents in unredacted form. Negotiations to secure full compliance are continuing. A large number of additional documents have produced as a result, and Committee staff expect a limited number of additional documents to be produced by the Department. In addition to the initial Committee requests, Chairman Conyers, Subcommittee Chair Sanchez, Representative Zoe Lofgren, and Representative Keith Ellison have sent further requests for information pertinent to the U.S. Attorney controversies in Missouri and Minnesota. On July 17, 2007, Chairman Conyers, Subcommittee Chair Sanchez, Representative Artur Davis, and Representative Tammy Baldwin requested documents and information about several prominent prosecutions and convictions of Democratic officials or operatives in various parts of the country, in light of extensive allegations of selective, politically influenced prosecutions. In addition, Majority and Minority staff from both the House and Senate Judiciary Committees have so far jointly conducted on-the-record interviews of twelve current and former Department of Justice officials.

the House Judiciary Committee sent a report and resolution to the House of Representatives finding former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten in statutory contempt of Congress for failing to respond to the Committee's subpoenas in the U.S. Attorney investigation. The report passed by a vote of 22-17. "In order to pursue this investigation, we have done what committees in the Congress have always done – we have sought out documents and testimony, initially on a voluntary basis, and through compulsory process only as a last resort," said Committee Chairman John Conyers, (D-MI). "I began this investigation with a simple question – who put the list of fired US Attorneys together and why. I would think it would be in everyone’s interest to get the facts on the table, so we could reassure the American people that the nation’s laws are being fully and faithfully enforced." Following the vote, Conyers sent a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding alerting him of today's actions and urging him to reconsider negotiating terms to resolve the document and testimony issues without further confrontation. "As I explained before the Committee’s vote, I regret that the Committee has had to take this step, and continue to hope that we can resolve with you the Committee’s need for information from the White House in our investigation," he wrote. The full House of Representatives is now required to vote on a contempt resolution before the matter is sent to the District of Columbia's U.S. Attorney for action.

"If the gloves don't fit, we must acquit!"

I contacted the Tonight Show about Jay Leno's letter. This is the response I got.

This was sent to me by the America's Second Harvest The Nation's Food Bank Network:

I just received an email today from Ebay. It appears Ebay has started a new company Kijiji. It appears to be a blatent copy of Craigslist. Ebay has 25 percent ownership interest in Craigslist. http://washingtondc.kijiji.com It even has a kijiji for every city (Craigslist secret sauce). Here is the email I received:

Cindy Sheehan, an Iraq War protester, was arrested inside the Rayburn Building in Washington, D.C. in United States along with 45 to 50 other protesters for disorderly conduct on Monday. "The Democrats will not hold this administration accountable, so we have to hold the Democrats accountable. And I for one am going to step up to the plate and run against Nancy Pelosi," said Sheehan during her protest inside the capitol. Sheehan and the other protesters were at the offices of Rep. John Conyers Jr. who is the House Judiciary Committee chairman, demanding that President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney be impeached. Conyers would be the politician who would start impeachment hearings. Sheehan then said she would run against Nancy Pelosi, who is the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in the next election for her seat in the House representing the state of California. "If Nancy Pelosi doesn't do her constitutionally mandated job by midnight tonight, tomorrow I will announce that I'm going to run against her. Not only am I going to run against her, but I will beat her. Impeachment is not a fringe movement, it is mandated in our Constitution. Nancy Pelosi had no authority to take it off the table," added Sheehan. Pelosi's Press Secretary Brenden Daly says Pelosi is working hard to make sure that the right steps are taken in Iraq. "The speaker is focused on changing course in Iraq by bringing our troops home safely and soon and refocusing our effort on protecting Americans from terrorism, holding the Bush administration accountable and setting a 'New Direction for America,'" said Daly. Sheehan became an anti-war protester after her son, Casey Sheehan, was killed while fighting in the Iraq War on April 4, 2004 at the age of 24. Earlier this year, on Memorial Day, she announced her resignation as "the 'face' of the American anti-war movement" on a personal web journal page published by the Daily Kos.

Quorum-sensing bacteria leak into their surroundings a chemical that, like body odor, indicates their presence. As the bacterial population increases, so does the concentration of this chemical, called an autoinducer. When the amount of autoinducer reaches a certain level, the whole bacterial neighborhood is transformed. The once-independent, solitary bacterial cells suddenly become part of a large, multicellular organism. An everyday example of such bacterial transfiguration is the tenacious slime that can accumulate on teeth, ships, bathtubs, and kitchen drains. These slippery coatings are actually sophisticated microbial communities called biofilms in which bacteria either become part of protective coatings, walls, or nutrient-filled channels, or they swim around inside these structures as highly mobile, independent cells. Bacteria exist within complex communities termed biofilms on solid surfaces, including plant roots. Members of these communities interact both cooperatively and competitively to enable the inhabitants to perform functions not possible by single organisms. The discovery that bacteria are able to communicate with each other changed our general perception of many single, simple organisms inhabiting our world. Instead of language, bacteria use signalling molecules which are released into the environment. As well as releasing the signalling molecules, bacteria are also able to measure the number (concentration) of the molecules within a population. Nowadays we use the term 'Quorum Sensing' (QS) to describe the phenomenon whereby the accumulation of signalling molecules enable a single cell to sense the number of bacteria (cell density). In the natural environment, there are many different bacteria living together which use various classes of signalling molecules. As they employ different languages they cannot necessarily talk to all other bacteria. Today, several quorum sensing systems are intensively studied in various organisms such as marine bacteria and several pathogenic bacteria. QS enables bacteria to co-ordinate their behaviour. As environmental conditions often change rapidly, bacteria need to respond quickly in order to survive. These responses include adaptation to availability of nutrients, defence against other microorganisms which may compete for the same nutrients and the avoidance of toxic compounds potentially dangerous for the bacteria. It is very important for pathogenic bacteria during infection of a host (e.g. humans, other animals or plants) to co-ordinate their virulence in order to escape the immune response of the host in order to be able to establish a successful infection. Quorum sensing was first observed in Vibrio fischeri, a bioluminiscent bacterium that lives as a symbiont in the light-producing organ of the Hawaiian bobtail squid. When V. fischeri cells are free-living (or planktonic), the autoinducer is at low concentration and thus cells do not luminesce. In the light organ of the squid (photophore), they are highly concentrated (about 1011 cells/ml) and transcription of luciferase is induced, leading to bioluminescence. In the past 10 years, it has become well established that disease-causing genes of most pathogens are expressed in response to diffusible signals released from the host. Tapping into the chemical communiques needed to make biofilms has many applications. Biofilm-blocking substances could reduce illness caused by infected catheters and other implanted medical devices. They could prevent bacterial buildup in industrial cooling towers and swimming pools. And, if added to toothpaste or mouthwash, they could battle tooth decay. By studying the way bacteria join together into organized groups, scientists also learn how humans and other higher organisms developed, Bassler says. After all, our bodies are essentially collections of genetically identical cells that, based on chemical cues, specialized into different tissues (skin, bones, a heart, brain, and so forth). According to Bassler, these tissues probably interact with each other using chemical crosstalk similar to that in bacteria. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gquery/gquery....=Quorum+sensing

Now Jonathan, In third person writing, the author does not interject himself into the story.

I will not be talking politics. Although, do you remember the episode "Mr. Spitz Goes to Washington?" Krusty the Klown ran for Congress as a Republican, they had a hilarious version of FoX news and their news crawls.

Dear Ward 5 Residents, Your opinion counts! If you haven't already completed the Survey of Ward 5 Residents, please click on the link below and complete Harry "Tommy" Thomas, Jr. survey . The survey will close on July 31. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2fO...QpOrH44UA_3d_3d The survey is completely anonymous--your responses will be compiled with responses received from other residents.

This was email was sent to me. Does anyone know if it is real

18 years in the making, people! And it's finally here! This coming Friday we're catching the 7:30pm showing of The Simpsons at the Regal Gallery Place Stadium 14 (701 Seventh Street NW, Washington, DC 20001). Gallery Place is only playing a few evening showings, so if you want to join us, I highly recommend buying your ticket well in advance. Click on this link Meet us upstairs at the bar of Clyde's (right next door) at a little before 6pm.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to update their child’s immunization records before the school year begins. All students attending public schools in the District of Columbia are required to have up-to-date immunization records prior to registration for the 2007-2008 school year. Records must show that the student received a physical examination, including eye, hearing, and oral health exams, as well as, a Tuberculosis Assessment. Early Bird Registration for the 2007-2008 school year began July 16th for the District of Columbia’s Public Schools. Parents and guardians may now register daily, between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, at the school their child plans to attend Extended registration hours of 9:00 am to 6:00 pm will be available on Thursdays, July 19 and 26, 2007 and August 2, 2007, unless otherwise noted by the school. For more information regarding District of Columbia’s Public School’s registration requirements, as well as, a list of free immunization clinics, please visit the DC Public Schools website, www.k12.dc.us, and click on the “parents” icon and Immunization/Student Health.

Starting Monday July 16, 2007, 8:30 PM Between the US Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial On the Mall Washington, DC The annual Screen on the Green festival brings free films to the Mall on Monday nights, where they're shown on a giant 20-by-40-foot screen between Fourth and Seventh Streets. The films begin at dusk, or roughly between 8:30 and 9 pm. Viewers often arrive as early as 5 pm, so plan to get there well in advance. If there's inclement weather, screenings may be canceled. The schedule is: July 23: The Thing (From Another World) July 30: Wait Until Dark Aug. 6: All the King's Men Aug. 13: Casablanca The Thing from Another World The Thing from Another World is a 1951 science fiction film which tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic research outpost who fight a malevolent alien being. It stars Kenneth Tobey (Capt Patrick Hendry), Margaret Sheridan (Nikki Nicholson), Robert Cornthwaite (Dr. Arthur Carrington) and Douglas Spencer (Ned Scott). James Arness appeared as The Thing, unrecognizable in costume and makeup. Oddly, no players are named during the otherwise-complete opening credits; the only cast credit is at the end (this was somewhat unusual in the 1950s). Wait Until Dark The mystery thriller's heroine is Susy Hendrix, a blind Greenwich Village housewife who becomes the target of three thugs searching for the heroin hidden in a doll her husband transported from Canada as a favor to a woman who since has been murdered. The trio tries to convince Susy her spouse has been implicated in the crime and the only way to protect him is to surrender the doll. More murder and mayhem ensue when she refuses, with the stage lights turned off for the final scene when Suzy levels the playing field by plunging her apartment into total darkness. All the King's Men All the King's Men is a 1949 drama film based on the Robert Penn Warren novel of the same name. It was directed by Robert Rossen and starred Broderick Crawford in the role of Willie Stark. All The King's Men is the story of the rise of politician Willie Stark from a rural county seat to the spotlight. Along the way, he loses his initial innocence, and becomes just as corrupt as those who he assaulted before for this characteristic. Also included is the romance between one of his "right hand women" and the up-and-coming journalist who brings Stark to prominence. Casablanca Casablanca is an Oscar-winning 1942 romance film set during World War II in the Vichy-controlled Moroccan city of Casablanca. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and stars Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. It focuses on Rick's conflict between, in the words of one character, love and virtue: he must choose between his love for Ilsa and his need to do the right thing by helping her husband, Resistance hero Victor Laszlo, escape from Casablanca and continue his fight against the Nazis. Contact: Screen on the Green (877) 262-5866 View Screen on the Green Gallery

Twenty-one year old Howard University student Shayna Rudd ran away with the title of Miss District of Columbia last night at the 54th Annual Pageant, themed "Diva! Las Vegas. Fourteen young women competed for the honor of representing DC in the 2008 Miss America Pageant next spring. The contestants performed a lively opening number and were judged in five style categories- lifestyle and fitness, evening wear, interview, talent, and onstage questioning. As the overall winner, Ms. Rudd will receive a $4000 scholarship award. Her modern dance interpretation of her "testimony", a reference to her pageant platform, "Telling Each Story to Inspire More of Our Nation's Youth to Succeed", brought her the highest scores in the Talent competition and a $200 scholarship. She also earned an additional $450 for winning the Swimsuit category and received the highest score in the Evening Gown category as well. First Runner Up is Chelsey Rodgers, a student at Howard Law School. Ms. Rodgers wins a $1500 scholarship, and an additional $200 for winning the Interview competition. This is Ms. Rodgers' second year in a row to be honored as First Runner Up. Second Runner Up is Jennifer Corey, a student at American University. She wins a $1350 scholarship. Ms Corey also received the Miracle Maker Award for raising more funds for Children's Miracle Network than any other contestant. She is ranked the #6 fundraiser in the country this year. Other awards included Michelle Crosby- Miss Congeniality and a $100 award, and Carla Brown- Miss America Acadamic Award of $1000. The Miss America Organization is the world's largest provider of scholarships for young women.

You don’t want to miss one minute of Redskins Football in 2007! Your Washington Redskins will make their 2007 debut in a scrimmage against the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday August 4th @ 12 noon. This is a general admission seating event. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children (12 and under). Redskins season ticket holders and waitlist members will receive a $3 discount on admission tickets by purchasing on line and using the special password skinfan2007. Click Here! * Parking lots open at 8:00 am * Stadium gates open at 11:00 am * Players take the field at 12 noon * Parking is $10.00 For more information or to order by phone please contact the Ravens ticket office at (410) 261-7283 Your loyalty to the Redskins is one of the reasons why the Redskins will enjoy home field advantage this season. Be loud, be proud and show your support! Hail to the Redskins!

The surge -- again, it only came to full power, all 20 BCTs, the 15th of last month. The offensive which followed, therefore, that buildup in time and placement, has now only been going for slightly less than a calendar month. I see progress. I see progress in Diyala and Salahuddin, Nineveh. I see progress in Baghdad, out west and down south. Is there a ways to go? Yes. The surge has allowed General Petraeus, General Odierno, the Corps to go to places where they have not been before, and you've heard that from the ground commanders, and they speak far more eloquently than I can on what that means -- Randy Mixon, Joe Fil, Rick Lynch, Jonathan Shaw down south. It has made a significant difference to our ability to close with the enemy and then pursue him, to be able to in fact take the initiative, which as soldiers we understand is important in the pursuit of this campaign. I think it would be untimely to move what I see as a successful campaign on the security line of operation, north, west, south and in Baghdad itself, at the point we're making progress, that we're pursuing the enemy, forcing him onto his back foot and onto our front foot, to let up on that pressure, to allow him to recover, to readjust, to go to places which he knows well and we pushed him out of. And those places have been a sanctuary for him. You know, the young people, men and women that are out in the battlespace right now are the men and women in the arena... soldiers always fight for their comrades, for what they believe in in the near tear. They're interested in about a square meal, maybe if they could find some linen sheets, which would be novel; courage, doing the right thing, always being tested, never wanting to be the weak link. So I sense that their commitment and mood I find humbling. the Iraqis who are dying alongside them at three times our rate, who are committed to this fight, who believe that we will endure, we will endeavor and we will give this country, you know, a better peace. They see -- which is seldom reported -- you know, some of the money getting through, banks opening -- I saw today -- Hit, Ramadi, Rutbah, Fallujah. They see provincial councils -- I think one in Nineveh has just approved 447 projects at $226 million worth of Iraqi money. It will take a ways to get that done, but they see that. They see water going to people who didn't have it before. They see electricity coming on line. They see stability to the networks. They see all the stuff that no one really portrays. They also see the bombs. Occasionally they see the progress they're making. The mark of a really great nation, a really great army, a really great armed force is its ability to learn and quickly, and I sense that is what has happened. The vacuum that existed that was filled before is now being filled with two things. One is being filled by Iraqis, who are in and now owning the fight. You heard of the Al Anbar Awakening. I saw the awakening in Anbar; I was part of that in the early days. I expected it to take some time to come fruition, to establish itself -- typically cautious British approach. What was surprisingly was how quickly it emerged in a slightly different guise but with the same tenets of the local people, the tribes, the -- wishing to push back against al Qaeda out in Diyala, Salahuddin, Nineveh, down south, even in Baghdad itself. So you have, therefore, people being brought in to the government of Iraq security structures as PSUs trained in a shorter time scale, go through all the back tests and the like, and then brought into the fight local perspective; some of that assisted by people who were in the insurgency, who fought against us -- all of this done with an absolute transparency with the current government of Iraq. So on the one hand, you have therefore local security forces filling that vacuum, that space because we just don't have enough, you know, even the 160-plus thousand troops; I know Iraqi armed force and police it's 350,000-360,000. This is a big country. So you have security forces filling that space. The second thing I'm now seeing, I was in a meeting just recently with Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih, whereby he chaired a meeting where you had Trade, you had minister of Finance, you had Transportation, you had deputies from -- (word inaudible) -- which were looking at in fact how to get services, food, medical supplies, immediate support in behind that. You have people like the Brinkley (sp) group who's out here and the like looking towards how you can start up and establish vo-tech programs, start to look at the opportunities of standing up what were all state-owned enterprises, some which are not hugely viable but they can sustain; but they do employ those others that are hugely attractive -- clothing factories, ceramics factories out in -- out west, and to fill that space therefore with employment and opportunity. That's the difference. And that is, therefore, a combination of both what the coalition is doing, what the Iraqi security forces are doing, what the Iraqi people on the ground are doing, and what the Iraqi government are doing. The sum of the parts is so much greater than where we were before, and the difference should not be underestimated.

Health officials in Perth, Australia, last week advised parents to seek medical care quickly for young children with respiratory symptoms, after three children under age 5 died of pneumonia as a complication of "mild" influenza A infections. Paul Van Buynder, director of communicable disease control for Western Australia's health department, said in a Jul 6 press release that officials were surprised by how quickly the illness developed in the children. "While we do not want to create unnecessary panic, it is important for parents to be aware that the disease can cause serious illness within 24 hours," he said. The children who died had a streptococcal pneumonia infection, but health officials have not announced what type, according to a recent report from Australian Broadcasting Corporation News. The cases started out as "mild influenza A infection," Van Buynder told the Australian Associated Press. He said the health department found no links between the children's cases. Australia is at the peak of its flu season, and the report said hospitals in the Perth area were inundated by anxious parents bringing children with flu symptoms. News of the Australian cases comes as infectious disease and public health experts are worrying about the threat of a flu pandemic associated with H5N1 avian flu. In past flu pandemics, bacterial coinfections have contributed substantially to deaths. The Australian report also is a reminder of recent worries US health officials have had about rising numbers of young flu patients who have suffered coinfections with the sometimes-fatal Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia, in some cases involving drug-resistant strains. S aureus can cause a severe, necrotizing pneumonia that has a relatively high case-fatality rate—33% during the 1968-69 flu pandemic, the CDC said in an Apr 13 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report article that detailed some of the recent fatal cases. Evidence points to a synergistic relationship between S aureus and influenza, according to an article in the June 2006 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases. Flu viruses appear to increase S aureus adhesion in the respiratory tract, and S aureus-specific enzymes (proteases) appear to increase flu virus replication. Also, influenza A virus strains appear to decrease destruction of S aureus by immune cells called phagocytes, making patients more susceptible to bacterial coinfection. In May the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert after noticing an increase in the number of S aureus infections in children with flu. The CDC said that from October 2006 through early May, 55 influenza deaths in children had been reported. Twenty of the children (out of 51 for whom relevant data were available) had bacterial infections, and 16 of these were infected with S aureus. Though the number of pediatric flu deaths this past flu season was similar to the two previous years, the CDC said the 16 deaths from S aureus pneumonia or bacteremia recorded so far reflected a sharp increase over those years. Only one S aureus coinfection was identified during the 2004-05 season, followed by three in 2005-06. Further, of the 16 children who had S aureus infections, 11 had methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strains that are typically associated with MRSA skin infection outbreaks, the CDC advisory said. The CDC also noted that the children who had S aureus infections had been in good health before they got sick, but progressed rapidly to serious illness. Anthony Fiore, MD, a medical epidemiologist with the CDC, told CIDRAP News that because childhood flu deaths have been nationally notifiable only since 2004, it's difficult to make definitive statements about pneumonia death patterns. "It is concerning, and there is a surge in awareness, particularly with the antibiotic resistant strains of Staphylococcus," he said. The CDC has other ways to track pneumonia trends in children with influenza, he said. For example, the Emerging Infections Program and the New Vaccine Surveillance Network are two systems that can capture clusters of severe infections in children that lead to hospitalization. Edward Septimus, MD, an infectious disease expert who is medical director of clinical integration at Methodist Hospital in Houston, told CIDRAP News that the clinical picture of the Australian cases possibly suggests a Group A Streptococcus organism. "It's a severe clinical picture and it can act a lot like MRSA. The necrotizing effects are very similar," he said. Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, died of a Group A streptococcal pneumonia, Septimus added. He said that without more information, it's difficult to predict whether the Australian cases point to any troubling trends. Sometimes, he commented, patients are simply unlucky: Their risk of developing a serious pneumonia rises if they are colonized with a bacterial organism such as MRSA or Streptococcus when influenza viruses are circulating. See also: Western Australia Department of Health news release http://www.health.wa.gov.au/press/view_press.cfm?id=711

This article by John Podesta, Lawrence J. Korb, and Brian Katulis was sent to me for posting.

Single-Parent Households Showed Little Variation Since 1994, Census Bureau Reports the percentage of households headed by single parents showed little variation from 1994 through 2006, at about 9 percent, up from 5 percent in 1970, according to the latest data on America’s families and households released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. According to Families and Living Arrangements: 2006, there were 12.9 million one-parent families in 2006 — 10.4 million single-mother families and 2.5 million single-father families. Just over two-thirds (67 percent) of the nation’s 73.7 million children younger than 18 lived with two married parents in 2006. Also in 2006, there were an estimated 5.8 million stay-at-home parents: 5.6 million mothers and 159,000 fathers. Other highlights: Average household size in 2006 was 2.57 people, down from 3.14 in 1970. Slightly more than one in four households (26 percent) consisted of a person living alone in 2006, up from 17 percent in 1970. About 5.7 million children, or 8 percent of the total, lived in a household that included a grandparent in 2006. The majority of these children (3.7 million) lived in the grandparent’s home, and of these, about 60 percent had a parent present. Among the 13 million children 15 to 17, about 2.3 million were working, and of these, 2.2 million worked part time. In 2006, 33 percent of males and 26 percent of females 15 and older had never married, up from 28 and 22 percent in 1970. The majority of men and women in 2006 had been married by the time they were 30 to 34 (71 percent), and among men and women 65 and older, 96 percent had been married. Data are from the 2006 Current Population Survey’s (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), conducted in February, March and April at about 100,000 addresses nationwide.

Drivers needed - All shifts preferred but will split the day and evening shift if we have to.You must be 21 and have a good driving record. Drivers you will pick up and drop off the cars from the same location every day and that is the hotel listed below . The schedule is below so please make sure you can work all of the hours. If you can work all of the hours you must fill out the Driver Disclosure form and fax it to 866-424-0345 before the end of day today. Hotel Info BALTIMORE-BWI AIRPORT WEST Holiday Inn Express 7481 RIDGE ROAD HANOVER, MD 21076 Tel: 1-410-6843388 Schedule Thursday July 19th- There are evening only hours will range from 6pm to 2am with shifts being 6 hours. Friday the 20th - There are two shifts a day shift from 10am to 4pm and then an evening shift where the hours will range from 6pm to 2am with shifts being 6 hours. Saturday the 21st -There are two shifts a day shift from 10am to 4pm and then an evening shift where the hours will range from 6pm to 2am with shifts being 6 hours. For the day shifts you will be driving around town in unison showing off the lo-goed vehicles... and you will have to pick up POS items from a warehouse once during that shift. For the night shifts you may or may not have talent riding with you to the event . If they do ride with you - they will meet you at the Hotel - you will not be picking people up... Once you are at the events you will either be sitting out front of the club or driving around the club showing off the lo-goed vehicles. please resond to lscott8080@comcast.net