The first animal is the "FIRE ANT" (imported fire ants) Solenopsis invicta (http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/" title="http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/" target="_blank"http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~gilbert/research/fireant s/faqans.html. Fire ants look very similar to other ants, but their aggressiveness and intensity of the venom they inject with an attack, makes them almost pathologically bellicose. When they move into an area, they attack other, more peaceful ants and kill them off, soon becoming the dominant ant in an area,.
The other is the so-called "KILLER BEE" or Africanized Bee.(Apis mellifera scutellata). As with the fire ant, the killer bee, although it looks outwardly very much like the European bees that are more docile and produce honey commercially, the warlike, territorially aggressive killer bee, tends to move into an area, kill or drive off the other bees, and become the dominant form of bee.
Interestingly, the country from which both of these insects came from to the USA, was South America..
The title of this article is "AN EAGLE WITH ONLY A RIGHT WING CAN'T FLY". The Eagle of course, is the United States. The Congress is now dominated by just one party, and the executive brance is rule by that same party.
Republicans often may look like democrats, like a killer bee may look like a European bee or a fire ant may look like another ant, but, like these aggressive, predatorial insects, seem to want to wipe out the opposition, and show little real interest in co-existing, or working in a truly bipartisan manner.
As with the EAGLE, the United States needs BOTH wings, Right AND Left, not only to fly at all, but certtainly to fly toward a forward destination.
Anyone paddling a boat only on the RIGHT, is never going to reach their destination on the other side, but will instead, merely go in a circle.
This country MUST head toward a positive destination, and for that, we need BOTH wings! ~CodeWarriorz Thoughts
HIPAA RUINS THE OFFICE ENVIRONMENT- IT POISONS OFFICE INTERACTONS by CodeWarriorz Thoughts
The impact of HIPAA guideline implementation on the logistics of the office, and the negative effects on office morale and appropriate worker access to said records.
There are those who would obscure the effects of HIPAA under a smokescreen of alleged benefits of enhanced patient privacy. What a load of horse manure.
The thousand pound elephant in the middle of the room that no one talks about, is the fact that implementation of this HIPAA nonsense, causes a significant and palpable decrease in office morale, and interferes with what may have been a previously happy and harmonious office environment.
The draconian nature of what most health care providers perceive as the regulations mandated by HIPAA, usually causes most health care institutions to institute some person to become what I call the "HIPAA Nazi". The martinet nature of HIPAA Nazis make them march around finding all the little ways in which a business MAY be violating HIPAA regs, and the big thing they usually do is start by trying to turn all the monitors around in such a fashion that it makes it more difficult for those people working in these places, to actually USE the monitors.
From that point on, the appointed HIPAA NAZI for each office goes about trying to make life and work in the health care provider's office as unfriendly a place as possible, and to cause the logistics of the place to be a nightmare.
Often, their misinterpretation of HIPAA guidelines, or their carrying these guidelines to such insane lengths, makes the whole enterprise seem like something a madman would dream up. What often happens, as a result of these crazy modifications of what WAS a perfectly fine office arrangement, is that those people who have the best and most legitimate right to view the records, too often find inappropriate barriers to their free access.
I've personally seen HIPAA implemenation ruin, yes , RUIN the environments in various offices, making the offices become a sea of HIPAA paranoia, but even more, they become unfriendly and almost hostile situations for both health care providers and patients alike.
HIPAA RUINS THE OFFICE ENVIRONMENT- IT POISONS OFFICE INTERACTONS by CodeWarriorz Thoughts
The impact of HIPAA guideline implementation on the logistics of the office, and the negative effects on office morale and appropriate worker access to said records.
There are those who would obscure the effects of HIPAA under a smokescreen of alleged benefits of enhanced patient privacy. What a load of horse manure.
The thousand pound elephant in the middle of the room that no one talks about, is the fact that implementation of this HIPAA nonsense, causes a significant and palpable decrease in office morale, and interferes with what may have been a previously happy and harmonious office environment.
The draconian nature of what most health care providers perceive as the regulations mandated by HIPAA, usually causes most health care institutions to institute some person to become what I call the "HIPAA Nazi". The martinet nature of HIPAA Nazis make them march around finding all the little ways in which a business MAY be violating HIPAA regs, and the big thing they usually do is start by trying to turn all the monitors around in such a fashion that it makes it more difficult for those people working in these places, to actually USE the monitors.
From that point on, the appointed HIPAA NAZI for each office goes about trying to make life and work in the health care provider's office as unfriendly a place as possible, and to cause the logistics of the place to be a nightmare.
Often, their misinterpretation of HIPAA guidelines, or their carrying these guidelines to such insane lengths, makes the whole enterprise seem like something a madman would dream up. What often happens, as a result of these crazy modifications of what WAS a perfectly fine office arrangement, is that those people who have the best and most legitimate right to view the records, too often find inappropriate barriers to their free access.
I've personally seen HIPAA implemenation ruin, yes , RUIN the environments in various offices, making the offices become a sea of HIPAA paranoia, but even more, they become unfriendly and almost hostile situations for both health care providers and patients alike.
New HIV strain in New York - 3 Months to Full Blown AIDS
Political Gateway- Feb 11- Dateline New York... A new strain of HIV has been found in one man in New York. It appears he was infected in December or close to it. He has full blown AIDS and the strain is resistant to treatments.
Scroll down for the actual health department memo.
``We've identified this strain of HIV that is difficult or impossible to treat and which appears to progress rapidly to AIDS,'' said New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden. ``We have not seen a case like this before. It holds the potential for a very serious public health problem.''
``It is likely there are others infected with this strain and this individual has infected others,'' Frieden said. The case is ``extremely concerning and a wake-up call,'' he said.
``We're talking about a single case, but clearly the fact that we are dealing with such broad resistance of drugs and the rapid clinical progression is quite alarming,'' Valdiserri said.
``In this patient's case, onset of AIDS appears to have occurred within two or three months and at most 20 months after HIV infection,'' Frieden said. The patient, whose name was withheld, has symptoms usually associated ``with someone who has very advanced disease,'' he said.
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Office of Communications FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sandra Mullin/Sid Dinsay Business Hours (212) 788-5290 After Business Hours (212) 764-7667 Friday, February 11, 2005
NEW YORK CITY RESIDENT DIAGNOSED WITH RARE STRAIN OF MULTI-DRUG RESISTANT HIV THAT RAPIDLY PROGRESSES TO AIDS
Highly Virulent Strain Resistant to Three Types of HIV Drugs Is Rare In Patients Not Previously Treated for HIV; Strain Is Also Associated with Rapid Onset of AIDS
Health Dept. Urges At-Risk Groups To Stop Risky Sexual Behavior; Patients Who Are On Treatment For HIV/AIDS And Are Doing Well Do Not Need Susceptibility Testing Unless Advised By Their Physician
NEW YORK CITY - February 11, 2005 - A highly resistant strain of rapidly progressive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been diagnosed for the first time in a New York City resident who had not previously undergone antiviral drug treatment, according to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). The strain of three-class antiretroviral-resistant HIV - or 3-DCR HIV - does not respond to three classes of anti-retroviral medication, and also appears to greatly shorten the interval between HIV infection and the onset of AIDS.
The patient is a male in his mid-40s who reported multiple male sex partners and unprotected anal intercourse, often while using crystal methamphetamine (crystal meth). He was first diagnosed with HIV in December 2004 and appears to have been recently infected. The diagnosis of 3-DCR HIV was made shortly thereafter at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. Since then, the patient has developed AIDS. DOHMH is counseling and offering HIV testing to those contacts of the patient who have been identified.
While drug resistance is increasingly common among patients who have been treated for HIV, cases of 3-DCR HIV in newly-diagnosed, previously untreated patients are extremely rare, and the combination of this pattern of drug resistance and rapid progression to AIDS may not have been diagnosed previously. Strains of 3-DCR HIV are resistant to three of the four available types of antiviral drugs that are most commonly prescribed: nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and protease inhibitors. This strain also caused a rapid onset of AIDS, which usually occurs more than ten years after initial infection with HIV. In this patient's case, onset of AIDS appears to have occurred within two to three months, and at most 20 months, after HIV infection.
Health Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH said, "This case is a wake-up call. First, it's a wake up call to men who have sex with men, particularly those who may use crystal methamphetamine. Not only are we seeing syphilis and a rare sexually transmitted disease - lymphogranuloma venereum - among these men, now we've identified this strain of HIV that is difficult or impossible to treat and which appears to progress rapidly to AIDS. This community successfully reduced its risk of HIV in the 1980s, and it must do so again to stop the devastation of HIV/AIDS and the spread of drug-resistant strains. Second, doctors in New York City must increase HIV prevention counseling, increase HIV testing, obtain drug susceptibility testing for patients testing HIV-positive who have not yet been treated, improve adherence to antiretroviral treatment, and improve notification of partners of HIV-infected patients. Third, the public health community has to improve our monitoring of both HIV treatment and of HIV drug resistance, and we have to implement prevention strategies that work."
The Health Department recently issued a Health Alert to physicians, hospitals and other medical providers asking them to test all previously untreated patients newly diagnosed cases for anti-HIV drug susceptibility. The Department is monitoring laboratories for additional cases of 3-DCR HIV in newly diagnosed persons. DOHMH is also working with New York State to establish a long-term system for monitoring drug resistance in HIV-positive patients who have not yet undergone treatment.
Dr. Frieden added, "Patients who are on treatment for HIV/AIDS and are doing well do not need susceptibility testing unless advised to by their physician."
REMARKS BY MEDICAL AND COMMUNITY LEADERS Dr. David Ho, CEO and Director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, said "This patient's infection with an HIV-1 strain that is not amenable to standard antiretroviral therapy, along with his rapid clinical and immunological deterioration, is alarming. While this remains a single case, it is prudent to closely watch for any additional possible cases while continuing to emphasize the importance of reducing HIV risk behavior."
"The rapidly growing crystal meth epidemic in New York city continues to play a significant role in facilitating the transmission of HIV. In light of the emergence of this virulent new strain, health care providers must be especially vigilant in not only recognizing and diagnosing HIV infection, but also in recognizing the signs and symptoms of crystal methamphetamine use in their patients," said Dr. Antonio Urbina, Medical Director of HIV education and training, at St. Vincent's Catholic Medical Center.
"Callen-Lorde is deeply concerned about this newly identified case of multiple drug resistant HIV," said Jay Laudato, Executive Director of the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center. "We urge all persons, both HIV negative and positive, to only engage in safer sex practices in order to prevent new infections or re-infection. For those persons who don't know their status, we urge HIV testing and obtaining the information and support necessary to reduce their risk for HIV infection. We also ask all gay and bisexual men to become knowledgeable about the dangers of crystal methamphetamine and in particular its relationship to sexual risk taking."
Dr. James Braun, President of the Physicians Research Network, said "We believe that the transmission of treatment-resistant HIV was a disaster waiting to happen, particularly in communities where safer sex is not practiced regularly and in light of people using drugs like crystal meth. All primary care providers in acute care settings need to know how to diagnose HIV in its earliest stages and where to refer people so that new infections are properly worked up and treated."
"HIV prevention is an ongoing process," said Ana Oliveira, Executive Director of Gay Men's Health Crisis. We have to double our efforts and resources to maintain treatment and prevention education for people who are infected as well as for those who are not. New Yorkers must be vigilant and know that infection with resistant strains of HIV can be avoided. People living with HIV can live healthy and satisfying lives by protecting themselves and their partners, regardless of HIV status."
Tokes M. Osubu, Executive Director of Gay Men of African Descent, said, "This is the news we have all been fearing. While the recent advances in HIV treatment have led to the improvement of countless lives, we have always known that many people respond poorly to these therapies and for many others, the side effects are devastating. Continued education about staying safe and avoiding HIV remains our most potent weapon."
Dr. Jay Dobkin, Director of the AIDS Program at Columbia University Medical Center, said, "This case is a striking reminder that the risk of getting infected with HIV has not gone away. In fact, risky behavior may be even more dangerous now since there is a chance of infection with a virus we may not be able to treat."
"This case should drive home the point that substance use can lead to unsafe sex, and unsafe sex can lead to infection with a highly drug-resistant strain of HIV that can be extraordinarily difficult to treat and may cause rapid progression to AIDS," said Roy M. Gulick, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in Manhattan.
Dr. Jack DeHovitz, Professor at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center said, "This finding supports the need for enhanced availability of HIV testing, as well as preventive interventions, which are effective in reducing subsequent HIV transmission."
Know Your HIV Status There is an epidemic of HIV and AIDS in New York City: more than 88,000 New Yorkers are known to be living with HIV/AIDS, and an estimated 20,000 more are believed to be living with HIV/AIDS and don't know it.
By knowing your HIV status, you can protect yourself, anyone you are having sex with, and, if you are pregnant or planning pregnancy, your baby. Free and fully confidential STD exams and treatment, as well as confidential or anonymous HIV testing, are available at Health Department clinics throughout New York City. Health insurance, proof of citizenship and/or parental consent are not required to receive these services. Please call 311 or visit http://www.nyc.gov/health" title="http://www.nyc.gov/health" target="_blank"http://www.nyc.gov/health for a list of clinics and hours of operation
Marine General Says 'It's Fun to Kill' By JOHN J. LUMPKIN Feb 4, 2005, 08:15
A decorated Marine Corps general said, "It's fun to shoot some people" and poked fun at the manhood of Afghans as he described the wars U.S. troops are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
His boss, the commandant of the Marine Corps, said Thursday that the comments reflected "the unfortunate and harsh realities of war" but that the general has been asked to watch his words in public.
Lt. Gen. James Mattis, a career infantry officer who is now in charge of developing better ways to train and equip Marines, made the comments Tuesday while speaking to a forum in San Diego.
According to an audio recording, he said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling."
He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
His comments were met with laughter and applause from the audience. Mattis was speaking during a panel discussion hosted by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, a spokeswoman for the general said.
Thursday, Gen. Mike Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps, issued a statement saying, "Lt. Gen. Mattis often speaks with a great deal of candor. I have counseled him concerning his remarks and he agrees he should have chosen his words more carefully."
Hagee also said, "While I understand that some people may take issue with the comments made by him, I also know he intended to reflect the unfortunate and harsh realities of war."
Among Marines, Mattis is regarded as a fighting general and an expert in the art of warfare. Among his decorations are the Bronze Star with a combat distinguishing device and a combat action ribbon, awarded for close-quarters fighting.
He is currently the commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., and deputy commandant for combat development.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was up to Mattis to address his own comments, but he added, "All of us who are leaders have a responsibility in our words and our actions to provide the right example all the time for those who look to us for leadership."
Pace spoke to a Pentagon press conference. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he had not read Mattis' words and deferred to Pace.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil liberties group, called on the Pentagon to discipline Mattis for the remarks.
"We do not need generals who treat the grim business of war as a sporting event," said the council's executive director, Nihad Awad. "These disturbing remarks are indicative of an apparent indifference to the value of human life."
Pace and Hagee praised the general's service.
"His actions and those of his troops clearly show that he understands the value of proper leadership and the value of human life," Pace said.
Hagee called him "one of this country's bravest and most experienced military leaders."
He said the commitment of Marines "helps to provide us the fortitude to take the lives of those who oppress others or threaten this nation's security. This is not something we relish, yet we accept it as a reality in our profession of arms."
Hagee said he was confident Mattis would continue to serve with distinction.
Mattis' comments were reported by the television station KNSD in San Diego, and the audio recording was posted on its Web site www.nbcsandiego.com .
As a lieutenant colonel, Mattis led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first war with Iraq. During the war in Afghanistan, he commanded the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and subsequently Task Force 58, which fought in southern Afghanistan as the Taliban fell.
During the second war in Iraq, he commanded the 1st Marine Division during the invasion and also when the unit returned to Iraq for counterinsurgency operations last year.
In a letter to his troops before they redeployed to Iraq last March, Mattis warned them of "hard, dangerous work."
"The enemy will try to manipulate you into hating all Iraqis," he wrote. "Do not allow the enemy that victory. With strong discipline, solid faith, unwavering alertness, and undiminished chivalry to the innocent, we will carry out this mission."
He is not the first senior military officer since the Sept. 11 attacks to stir controversy with his comments.
Lt. Gen. William Boykin, a senior military intelligence officer, was criticized for speeches he made at evangelical Christian churches. He said that America's enemy was Satan, that God had put President Bush in the White House and that one Muslim Somali warlord was an idol-worshipper.
Boykin later issued a written statement apologizing and saying he did not mean to insult Islam.
A Pentagon investigation concluded that Boykin violated regulations by failing to make clear he was not speaking in an official capacity in the speeches beginning in January 2002.
