Justice Souter To Retire

NPR is reporting that Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning on retiring at the end of the court's current session.

Oral arguments have been completed for the year. Rulings and opinions will continue to be issued until the end of June. Its expected that Souter will remain on the bench until a successor is in place. Hopefully that will occur before the court reconvenes in October.

Souter is only 69 years old but wants to leave Washington. He never did like Washington D. C. and has said as much to friends. He wants to go back home to New Hampshire. I liked Souter. Too bad Thomas or Scalia will still be around.

This should set the Republicans hair on fire gearing up for a fight. I sincerely hope they do not make it an ugly situation. The party of NO better not come up with ridiculous arguments against anyone President Obama chooses. We don't need to witness any Rovian dirty tricks or scurrilous commentary during this search for a nominee.

As if President Obama doesn't have his hands full already. Now he'll be searching for a candidate. I'm hoping he'll choose a woman since we only have Ruth Bader Ginsburg and she's dealing with recovering from cancer. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope he can find a suitable woman to nominate. After all, strong support from women elected him and well, there are more of us. Even though this new Justice will not change the make up of the court let's hope we end up with a wise, younger, progressive person.

While we wait for confirmation from Justice Souter let me say this: Thank you sir for your service.

WHO Raises Flu Phase

Dr. Margaret Chan of the World Health Organization, has just announced that the organization is raising the Global Pandemic Alert Level to Level 5.
Again, no panic is needed. The WHO has now determined that they see the virus least two countries in one WHO region.

Current WHO statement from their website (they have yet to reflect a phase 5 diagram, but you can refer to the previous post to see information on phase 5):

29 April 2009 -- The situation continues to evolve rapidly. As of 18:00 GMT, 29 April 2009, nine countries have officially reported 148 cases of swine influenza A/H1N1 infection. The United States Government has reported 91 laboratory confirmed human cases, with one death. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed human cases of infection including seven deaths.
The following countries have reported laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths - Austria (1), Canada (13), Germany (3), Israel (2), New Zealand (3), Spain (4) and the United Kingdom (5).

EDIT: from WHO site

Current level of influenza pandemic alert raised from phase 4 to 5
Based on assessment of all available information and following several expert consultations, Dr Margaret Chan, WHO's Director-General raised the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5. She stated that all countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans. At this stage, effective and essential measures include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities.

Link to WHO full statement.



From the statesman.com breaking alert

WHO raises pandemic flu alert level to phase 5

GENEVA — 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.

WHO says the phase 5 alert means there is sustained human to human spread in at least two countries. It also signals that efforts to produce a vaccine will be ramped up.

WHO has confirmed human cases of swine flu in Mexico, the United States, Canada, Britain, Israel, New Zealand and Spain. Mexico and the U.S. have reported deaths.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan made the decision Wednesday to raise the alert level from phase 4 — signifying transmission in only one country — after reviewing the latest scientific evidence on the outbreak.

Be aware and stay tuned. Again, no panic but use your common sense.

WHO Updates Flu Phase

The WHO (World Health Organization) has updated the phase of the flu virus spread.





What is phase 4?

Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion

While phase 4 indicates a significant increase of risk of pandemic we must all wait and see if it hits phase 5-6. It will be classified as a pandemic when it and if it hits phase 6.

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way

Again, people should not flip out but use some common sense. Stay safe all.

A Sewing Gadget

One of the biggest pains in the butt for me when sewing is keeping the seams straight. It never fails that my fabric wants to travel and then that 5/8 in. seam becomes 1 in. then 5/8 in. then 1 1/4 in. then 5/8 in. Needless to say the seam ends up looking bizarre. I know seamstresses that can sew a straight line in their sleep---I'm not one of them. Ha! So I found a gadget to help me keep my seams straight.

It's called a magnetic seam guide and it works on any sewing machine. I purchased mine at Atlanta Thread & Supply Company. It's a great place for all kinds of sewing/tailoring things.

Here's the gadget:




And here's what it looks like on the machine:



It's simply held on the machines faceplate by a powerful magnet. I love the thing! Here's to sewing straight seams forever.

Will It Be A Pandemic?

Who knows. I don't know. The world doesn't yet know. But it damn well pays to be prepared. Unfortunately, one Republican Senator is feeling the heat for her role in stripping hundreds of millions from the stimulus bill for just such preparedness. Already Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is being taken to task on you tube.




I can understand her questioning what it has to do with a stimulus but she should have waited for a reasonable answer. This money would have gone to the CDC to prepare for a flu pandemic. That could have meant jobs. Jobs for manufacturing the medicine to combat it, jobs in getting the word out. But even if it didn't mean jobs it meant security as in our national health security. Spending money for this type of event is not a frivolous endeavor. Obviously, someone, somewhere had an inkling we could be ripe for an event of this type. When people become ill many detrimental things can occur. They go to work and spread the virus. As more become ill workplace productivity declines which costs businesses money and can lessen our security by having those individuals tasked with that job out sick.

I also find it laughable that those Republican Governors that have been lambasting the Federal government about spending are now pleading for assistance. Yeah, I'm looking at YOU Rick Perry, Governor of Texas. For all his secession ramblings just a short time ago he was damn quick to ask for federal assistance. Gee, and here I thought he and some others in Texas were so big and bad-assed that they could be their own nation. Pffft to all of them.

Regardless, take precautions:

Wash your hands
Limit your social contacts
Try not to go to work and spread this disease
See your Doctor immediately if you think you're coming down with symptoms of the flu
Remember it could be 3 to 4 days before you become ill after exposure.
And last but not least USE YOUR COMMON SENSE!

CDC comments:



Take care and I hope everyone stays well.

Spring Days

Yesterday was so darn HOT! 83 degrees here and gorgeous outside. That meant no blogging as it was way too nice to be inside. That sure changed today. It's still warm---about 72 degrees--- but it started raining around 11A.M. Now it starts and stops in fits. The sky is gray and it's a bit windy. Oh well, a good day to clean out some more "stuff" and hang out watching movies.

Before it started raining I went out a took a few photos:

Tanner, still panting, loves laying on the much cooler ground.




Some of my flowers are beginning to come up.






Oh and this is kind of cool. Husband had to visit one of the plants that are part of the union and they gave him a gift. A new Vodka called Crystal Head. Dan Akroyd is promoting it and when he was in town he signed a few bottles. Heh, we have one of those!

Freaky skull!





Very cool.

Springtime

Yes, it's springtime. The photo is of my Lilacs. I love the color and the smell. It makes me feel refreshed after winter, more alive.

I was missing in action for awhile for many reasons. Visiting family, making sure my Dad is doing well, doing the killer springtime house cleaning, starting some of my vegetable plants I'll take to the woods in about a month and taking a brain break from politics.

I've also started sewing again. I got so disgusted not being able to find what I want in the stores and refusing to pay outrageous prices that I decided to start making my own shirts, pants and pillow cases. The pillow cases are a riot of color and easy to make. I sell them along with my jewelry. I'll post some pictures of some after I get up to the woods.

One thing you have to do when sewing is wash all your fabric prior to stitching it up. If you don't you'll end up with a misshaped mess! So, there I was washing yards and yards and YARDS of fabric. That's when my 17 year old washer and dryer decided to begin ruining things. Arghhhhh! Well, how dare they crap out! lol Off I went to the local ABT store and purchased new ones. Since I'm going to be washing a lot of fabric I decided to get front loading machines on pedestals. I love them! I no longer have to bend over to drag clothes out of either machine. Yayyyyyy! That saves my arthritic back and makes it easy on my knees. Plus they take up less space.

So now a review of the Whirlpool Duet 9700 steam front loading washer and Whirlpool Duet 9600 steam front loading dryer:


(washer on left, dryer on right)

AWESOME!!! Worth every penny.

The washer:
This 4.4 cubic foot washer is the largest and newest front loader Whirlpool offers. No more hand washing items, no more agitator ripping up things, incredible number of different settings that all work beautifully and easy to keep clean thanks to a stainless steel drum. This washer has a function that uses steam with water to clean the interior and a reminder light that comes on after 30 loads. Then you throw in an Affresh tab and run the cleaning cycle. It removes any residue that may build up from detergent and keeps your washer clean and eliminates any mildew odor that may be forming. It uses 67% less water and only about 2 tbsp. of HE (high efficiency) detergent for normal loads and spins the clothes at 1000 RPM.That means your drying is cut significantly. It has a compartment on the front where you add all your detergent, oxi-clean, bleach and softener that injects these items into the laundry and it's very easy to remove and clean if you get build up.
It has 6th sense technology that determines how much water gets added to your loads. It's got 5 temperatures to choose from and 14 different cycles. It also has a great "add a garment" cycle. It never fails that after you start the wash you find something you forgot to add. The steam function is wonderful for deep cleaning stains. There's also a sanitize cycle that rocks for killing bacteria and cleaning up dirty dog towels.
A great safety feature is the child lock out door when it's running. Best of all it's very, very quiet.
Because it uses so little water and low sudsing detergent we'll be buying this same exact set for the Fish Hawk Road home and that will be easier on our septic system. I can't say enough good things about this washer. I love it.

*** A bit of extra info: Many have complained that their front loading washer began to smell of mildew and the front door seal actually grew mildew. Well, Whirlpool has listened to customers and lessened that happening by putting vent holes in the frame by the door seal to help drain water away from it. You won't have that problem if you use your washer regularly and give the door and seal a quick wipe down after your done. I leave the door slightly cracked open after I'm done to allow more air to circulate. If you're going to be gone on vacation it's wise to wipe down the washer and leave the door open. It's really common sense.

The dryer:
This 7.0 cubic foot fryer is the largest front loading dryer Whirlpool makes. It has 12 automatic cycles and 5 drying temperatures. The steam function is incredible for releasing wrinkles and eliminating odor from clothing that doesn't really need to be washed. The lint screen is front mounted and very easy to clean. It also has an interior drum light which I love.
I also love the wrinkle shield function which keeps your clothes from becoming crinkly messes if you get busy or simply just forget you have something in the dryer. That function runs for 140 minutes. It also has 4 way venting, a large easy view dryer door and like the washer is extremely quiet.

Both of these machines have reversible side-swing doors and both of mine are mounted on the optional 15.5 inch pedestal storage drawers. Needless to say, laundry is no longer a killer chore. I would highly recommend these appliances to anyone.

So, that's what I've been doing lately. I'll be posting more frequently now that I feel more alive. I hope you're all keeping busy, enjoying Spring and getting ready for Summer. I know I am.