Queensbury, NY "Novovirus" Epidemic

Here is a scary story. More than 300 people are reporting illness after frolicking at the Great Escape Lodge and Indoor Waterpark. The State Health department is guessing it might be due to Novovirus infections. Several elderly nursing home residents recently died after becoming infected with novovirus.

Don't bother trying to get information on "novoviruses" via google. Novovirus is a recently approved name for a group of viruses that cause gastrointestinal problems, i.e. gastric flu. They include Norwalk-like viruses and Caliciviruses (which include norovirus and sapovirus). However, it seems that the word novovirus is used primarily by the press.

In general, these are single-stranded RNA, non-enveloped viruses of the family Caliciviridae. Novovirus infection infection can result in symptoms of gastroenteritis in as few as 12 hours but more typically between 24 and 48 hours. Typical recovery from illness is in 24-48 hrs but virus continues to be shed even after the illness has resolved. Transmission of the virus is via the fecal-oral route and the virus is highly infectious. These viruses are also relatively resistant to chlorinated water (up to 10 ppm). Hand sanitation is most important for preventing transmission.

Oddly enough, individuals who express the gene FUT2, which encodes the enzyme fucosyltransferase, seem to be susceptible to infection with noroviruses. These individuals are "secretors" of histoblood group antigens (HBGA). A major problem with studying noroviruses is that they cannot be cultured.

Stop Aircraft Hijackers

Forward the video to 3 minutes and look at the great new techique that will stop unruly airplane passengers by shocking them to their ass. Isn't this a great idea (not!).

All I can think of is that Cheers episode where Cliffy decides to use electric shock treatment to train himself to be less annoying. The shocking device is attached to Cliffs testicles. Unfortunately, Cliff being Cliff, has an uncomfortable evening at Cheers. Oh watch it for yourselves.

Barack Obama on the Iraq War

Barack Obama has given another speech, this time addressing the Iraq War.

This is why the judgment that matters most on Iraq – and on any decision to deploy military force – is the judgment made first. If you believe we are fighting the right war, then the problems we face are purely tactical in nature. That is what Senator McCain wants to discuss – tactics. What he and the Administration have failed to present is an overarching strategy: how the war in Iraq enhances our long-term security, or will in the future. That's why this Administration cannot answer the simple question posed by Senator John Warner in hearings last year: Are we safer because of this war? And that is why Senator McCain can argue – as he did last year – that we couldn't leave Iraq because violence was up, and then argue this year that we can't leave Iraq because violence is down.

When you have no overarching strategy, there is no clear definition of success. Success comes to be defined as the ability to maintain a flawed policy indefinitely. Here is the truth: fighting a war without end will not force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. And fighting in a war without end will not make the American people safer.

This is true. It doesn't matter whether we are succeeding in Iraq or failing - the administration uses either as an excuse to stay in Iraq. McCain was not kidding when he said we could be in Iraq for 100 years. Yeah, I guess we probably thought that about Iran too.

This also stands out.

The central front in the war against terror is not Iraq, and it never was. What more could America's enemies ask for than an endless war where they recruit new followers and try out new tactics on a battlefield so far from their base of operations? That is why my presidency will shift our focus. Rather than fight a war that does not need to be fought, we need to start fighting the battles that need to be won on the central front of the war against al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Obama goes on to point out 5 strategies to address challenges of the 21st century. First, a comprehensive anti-terrorist strategy needs to be put in place. A strategy that protects civil liberties. Second, securing loose nuclear material around the world (what a no brainer). Third, cutting poverty in developing countries. Fourth, addressing global climate change and fifth, promoting a strong economy that includes free but fair trade and protects American workers.

Bush Iraq War Anniversary

A couple days ago, Sen. Barack Obama made what some are calling the most important speech concerning race in 40 years. I heard it and I've read it over an over and Obama pointed out truths that are rarely, if ever, mentioned especially by a politician. Obama appears to be suffering, politcally, from his speech. His speech has assured me that he is the right person to be the next president of the USA.

Yesterday, President Bush told us what a great success the War in Iraq has been. There is no doubt in President Bush's mind that the Iraq War has been "an undeniable success. How many people really believe that the Iraq War has been anything but a disaster. But I think Bush actually believes it has been a success.

So we have heard a very important, meaningful speech by a brave candidate for President who has pointed out the truths of racism and another speech by an "out of touch", less than brave President who continues to lie about how effectively the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are helping to promote democracy.

President Bush is being praised for his truths and presidential candidate Obama is being vilified by the conservative right for supporting hate speech. We've had 40 years of hate coming out of the GOP and now they are grasping at straws in hope of indicting Barack Obama as a promoter of hate. I'm not hopeful that a majority of Americans will be capable of identifying the real hero.

Barack Obama's Race Speech

Sen. Barack Obama gave an important speech today. It was either "the most important speech on race in 40 years" or it was "yes, it was nice....but...." I guess it depends on whether you are liberal or conservative. But I'm not sure who else could have given such a speech. I'm not religious but I really liked this portion of his speech:

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

Bail Out the Wealthy

Some words from E.J. Dionne:

Never do I want to hear again from my conservative friends about how brilliant capitalists are, how much they deserve their seven-figure salaries and how government should keep its hands off the private economy.

That hits the nail on the head. Capitalism and free markets are just great until they are not. The "free market" proponents are being very silent about the government having to bail out the big guys.

And this:

It's just fine to make it harder for the average Joe to file for bankruptcy, as did that wretched bankruptcy bill passed by Congress in 2005 at the request of the credit card industry. But the big guys are "too big to fail," because they could bring us all down with them.

What amazes me is that the "average Joe" (at least the average conservative Joe) is probably all in favor of the bailout of Wall Street. Personal responsibility doesn't apply to the very wealthy.

Here is the best line:

"We have been saying for so long that government is the enemy. Government is the enemy until you need a friend."

Eliot Spitzer and Sub-Prime Mortgages

Did the Federal Government just stumble upon Eliot Spitzer's assignations with a high priced hooker? Were there any interested parties in seeing that Spitzer was taken down? Read this article by Greg Palast.

Is Rev. Wright - Right?

I realize that when you are running for president you have to be very careful about what you say and even what your supporters say about almost anything. The latest person whose comments have been "rejected" is Barack Obama's minister, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Rev. Wright has said some very inflammatory things from the pulpit.

"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye."

I'm trying to understand where that statement is wrong. Even if you agree with the nuking of Heroshima, was nuking Nagasaki necessary?

"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost."

Well, we did support the white-led government in South Africa for quite some time and we do seem to support Israel more than we do the Palestinians. And, there really hasn't been much movement on the part of the USA towards mediating an Iraeli-Palestinian peace agreement since Bush has been in office.

What about calling upon God to damn the United States. I think that God is as likely to damn the USA as he is to bless it, as He so often called upon to do. God has some hard decisions to make since Christians, Muslims and Jews are all calling upon Him to support their particular cause. I do understand why blacks in America might not want to bless the USA. They do have some valid complaints.

This is a big to do about nothing. Christian ministers have a record in this country of saying some terrible things. Personally, I am far more offended by Christian-right minister claims that God is punishing the USA because of homosexuals.

Happy Pi Day

BTW, happy Pi Day.

Saranac Lake - Going Downhill

You can always tell when it's election time in the Village of Saranac Lake. You tend to hear, even more, how Saranac Lake is going downhill or becoming a ghost town. This, primarily from the Republican candidates and their supporters. True to the Republican party, the two Republican candidates running for Village trustee positions are all about cutting taxes. That's fine, the Village taxes are high. But you also need to cut spending, and like most spending of this sort, that usually means cutting jobs. You won't hear anything about cutting jobs during the election season. The Saranac Lake Republican party also seems to be the party of Wal-Mart. Unlimited development of our part of the Adirondack Park seems to be the best way to go in their view. Afterall, Wal-Mart provides good jobs. Oddly, one of the Republican candidates even seems to think the proposed Community Store is unfair to downtown businesses. It's too much for current businesses to compete with. It's not clear why a 5000 sq. ft. community store is a danger to downtown businesses but a 120,000 sq. ft. Wal-Mart is ok.

The Democratic party is supporting a candidate that believes Saranac Lake has something to offer to people and to businesses. He believes that certain businesses would thrive in Saranac Lake. One only has to look at Trudeau Institute, Inc. to see that this is true. Trudeau Institute provides many of the best paying jobs in the area. Unfortunately, attracting high tech, clean businesses means new people (outsiders) would move to the area. People with "disposable income" and opinions! This is not what many in Saranac Lake care to see happen. Don't believe me? Read the letters to the editor in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise, the comments on the ADE poll questions and listen to "talk of the town". You will soon realize that most problems in Saranac Lake derive from "outsiders" with "disposable income" and opinions. Scaring away newcomers to our community is not a way to prevent Saranac Lake from becoming a ghost town.

Property prices in the Adirondacks have been growing in leaps and bounds. Why is this? Because people (outsiders) realize that the Adirondack Park is a gem. The largest tract of undeveloped (mostly) land in the Northeast USA, yet convenient to large cities like Montreal and New York City. People prize the Adirondacks because it is different from everywhere else in the northeast. There are no big box stores. You can still go to a pharmacy where the pharmacist knows your name. You can be involved in community and political affairs. And, your children can be educated in good, safe schools.

The Village of Saranac Lake needs to continue moving forward with a vision to attract sound, careful growth of clean, high tech businesses. Cutting Village taxes today only to increase them tomorrow, when the tax cuts get you in trouble (sort of like the Federal Government right now), is no answer to our problems.

NY Gov. Paterson Answers an Important Question

Reporter: "have you ever patronized a prostitute?"

Gov. David Paterson: "Only the lobbyists"

(read it here)

No Al Qaeda Connection in Iraq

Whoa, who would have guessed? Before the USA invaded Iraq, the Bush administration made several hundred false statements claiming that Iraq had ties to Al Qaeda. Seems like that just was not the case.

An exhaustive review of more than 600,000 Iraqi documents that were captured after the 2003 U.S. invasion has found no evidence that Saddam Hussein's regime had any operational links with Osama bin Laden's al Qaida terrorist network.

Then the report was going to be censored by the Pentagon because it was too politically sensitive. That means it makes the Bush administration look bad. Unfortunately, the report has made it to the internets anyway. You can view it here.

Want to Remain Free?

We're back to the old Bush policy of "if you want to remain free, you have to give up some of your freedoms". I never understood this reasoning. If the Islamic terrorists "hate our freedoms", then isn't Bush doing exactly what the terrorists want by asking us to give up some freedoms?

Yes, this is about telecom immunity. Bush insists that for Americans to remain free and safe in their homes, giant telecom companies must not be prosecuted for possibly breaking the law. Did the telecoms break the law? If they didn't, they don't need immunity. If they did break the law, wouldn't it be nice to know exactly what they did? That is the sticking point. Bush doesn't want us to know what the telecoms did because it would open doors that he doesn't want open. Remember Adm. Poindexter's "total information awareness" program that was shut down by Congress a few years ago? Was it really shut down?

Adm. Fallon ------> Gone

I too wondered how Centcom commander Adm. William Fallon managed to keep his job for as long as he did. He took over when Bush was doing his best to start a war with Iran. Adm. Fallon is the guy who said let's slow down and think about this. Adm. Fallon was just not the kind of guy to accept policy without question from the Bush administration. Unfortunately, it is said that good soldiers follow orders without question - Adm. Fallon just was not a good soldier. But he was right.

Hate the Phone?

I'm really happy to learn from a Kevin Drum blog post this morning that I am not the only person who really dislikes the telephone. Not only do I dislike making phone calls but I don't particularly care to receive phone calls either, except from close relatives. I think it's because I'm terrible at engaging in "small talk". Any exchange of information is fine, but please don't ask me to talk about nothing. I also don't like talking about what I've been up to lately, primarily because it's typical that I've been up to nothing.

A Few Words About Torture Effectiveness

Spitzer Needs to Resign

Gov. Spitzer says:

I have acted in a way that violated the obligations to my family and that violates my — or any — sense of right and wrong. I apologize first, and most importantly, to my family. I apologize to the public, whom I promised better.

Spitzer should resign as Governor of NY as soon as possible. Democrats need to have a zero tolerance policy towards politicians involved in crime.

Third Anniversary

Today is the third anniversary of Adirondack Musing. Thanks for visiting.

Teacher Contracts and Green Dot

What about public school teacher contracts - unions. Here is a short opinion piece that has a paragraph of interest.

Most contracts are throwbacks to when nascent teacher unionism modeled itself on industrial unionism. Then, that approach made sense and resulted in better pay, working conditions and an organized voice. Yet schools are not factories. The work is not interchangeable and it takes more than one kind of school to meet all students’ needs. If teachers’ unions want to stay relevant, they must embrace more than one kind of contract.

I couldn't agree more. My entire outlook towards public school teachers changed when I participated in negotiating a teacher contract. The negotiators for the teachers were no longer teachers....they were union members, blue collar attitude union members. They were no longer the professionals I saw every day. The entire negotiation centered around how much pay was going to be given for any perceived "extra work". I was shocked at the lack of professionalism.

It seems however that public schools with a unionized teaching force can be made to work. A group called Green Dot Public Schools in California has joined with the United Federation of Teachers to open a charter school in the South Bronx in the Fall of 2008.

Key reforms embodied in the AMU contract include: teachers have explicit say in school policy and curriculum; no tenure or seniority preference; a professional work day rather than defined minutes; and flexibility to adjust the contract in critical areas over time. Green Dot was able to achieve these reforms by establishing a relationship of mutual trust with the teachers union and committing to pay its teachers above the average of comparable schools’ pay scales. In doing so, Green Dot and AMU share a unique relationship in the world of labor relations, one that is characterized by collaboration and a mutual interest in improving public education.

The teachers in Green Dot operated schools seem to be paid relatively well also. You can also see the Green Dot contract with their teachers here.

The other major difference in Green Dot schools is that parents of students must agree to volunteer 35 service hours per year. Green Dot schools operate on six tenets: Small, safe, personalized schools; High expectations of all students; Local Control with Extensive Professional Development and Accountability; Parent Participation; Maximize Funding to the Classroom and Keep Schools Open Later.

If a school site chooses not to follow a Recommended Practice, they are required to provide a plan that describes why they are not following that practice, lay out the new practice that the school site will employ, and provide support for that new practice in the form of research and evidence from other successful schools. If a school site or teacher is not following the Recommended Practices and does not meet its performance targets, it will be required to adopt the Recommended Practices. Green Dot is continually updating its Recommended Practices through innovations from within Green Dot’s own network and from best practices developed by other school operators.

Net Worth to Feel Secure

Here is a question I often ponder. What is the minimum level of net worth you would need to feel secure? Many people write they would feel secure if they had a minimum net worth of $1,000,000. This amount would include home equity and savings portfolio. Others disagree and say more would be needed. Somewhere in the vicinity of $2-5 million in home equity and savings. I agree that $1 million for retirement these days probably isn't quite enough. A home clear of mortgage debt, no other major debts, and 1.5 million in savings would probably do quite nicely though.

Any other opinions?