Accidental Blogger

Swine Flu Once Again:

This came to me via e-mail – a doctor's guide to protect against the influenza virus, H1N1included. The doctor is Indian born and you will note that his pointers are almost identical to my own advice, posted here a couple of months ago.  

The only portals of entry of the H1N1 virus are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature,  it’s almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is.

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced  (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):

Texas Governor Rick Perry's Arson On Decency and Compassion:

Rick "Goodhair" Perry, the governor of my state has chalked up several despicable antics on his right wing resume. He opposes health care reform, federal subsidies for job creation (although he used federal dollars to repair the governor's mansion) and Obama's speech to school children. He supports teaching creationism in science classes, prayer in public schools, every gun law favored by the NRA and paranoid vigilantes and had at one time threatened to secede from the nation. These days however, Perry is feeling a bit hot under the collar. An investigation is currently under way to determine whether the governor is culpable in the wrongful execution of a man. Even in execution-happy Texas, the case is drawing a lot of attention. Perry has impeded the investigation by firing three members of the panel looking into the charges.  

A report concluding a faulty investigation led to a Texas man's execution won't be reviewed by a state board as planned Friday after Governor Rick Perry abruptly removed three people from the panel, forcing the meeting's cancellation.

Perry replaced the head of the Texas Forensic Science Commission and two of its eight other board members Wednesday. The upheaval on the commission came just 48 hours before it was to consider a report critical of the arson finding leading to Cameron Todd Willingham's execution for the deaths of his three daughters in a 1991 fire.

Baltimore-based arson expert Craig Beyler, who was hired by the commission, concluded the arson finding was scientifically unsupported and investigators at the scene had "poor understandings of fire science." His report has bolstered arguments from advocacy groups that Willingham was innocent and wrongly executed.

The Flushing Brides of India:

In the northern Indian state of Haryana, some prospective brides are calling the shots in what used to be a wholly male dominated marriage market. The power reversal may have come to pass partly due to the fact that Haryana is also one of the states which now has an unnaturally skewed male : female ratio (males outnumbering females) due to widespread selective abortions of female fetuses. No, it is not about dowry. The young women are concerned about personal hygiene and convenience – they want to marry men who can provide them with indoor plumbing. The girls' serious battle cry is, "Show us the loo, before I say 'I do.'"

Courtship can be an intricate business in India, but the mothers of the northern state of Haryana have a simple message for men who call on their daughters: “No toilet, no bride.”

The slogan – often lengthened in Hindi to “If you don't have a proper lavatory in your house, don't even think about marrying my daughter” – has been plastered across villages in the region as part of a drive to boost the number of pukka facilities. In a country where more households have TV sets than lavatories, it is one of the most successful efforts to combat the chronic shortage of proper plumbing.

That is probably partly because of the country's skewed sex ratio, with 8 per cent more men than women, leading to a “bride shortage”. Woman generally have also become more vocal in their resentment at having to relieve themselves outside, giving brides more leverage in premarital bargaining.

The Supercollidor That Is Saving Us From A Terrible Fate By Shutting Down:

I will let D explain this one. (But read it anyway)