Swine influenza – Swine influenza or swine flu is a respiratory disease in pigs caused by the type A H1N1 swine influenza virus (SIV). Humans in close proximity to swine could contract swine influenza if the swine are carrying the rare strain of the SIV that is capable of affecting humans.

Symptoms – Swine flu symptoms in humans are generally similar to regular flu (influenza) symptoms and include muscle pain, runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, lack of appetite, fever, chills, and general weakness and discomfort. Other reported symptoms are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Transmission – H1N1 flu spreads from pigs to humans when humans are close to infected pigs. People working in barns or visiting livestock exhibits housing infected pigs are likely to get affected. Transmission from humans to humans can occur when the infected individual coughs or sneezes when others are close by. Putting one’s hands to the nose or mouth after touching anything with the flu viruses on it could also spread the infection. Consuming well-cooked pork and pork products won’t cause infection as cooking to an internal temperature of 160°F kills bacteria and viruses, including the swine flu virus.

Treatment and medication – While swine flu can generally be cured by the four antiviral drugs approved for curing flu in the US, amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir, the recent 2009 swine flu outbreak viruses have been found to be resistant to the first two drugs. Oseltamivir and zanamivir are now recommended for treatment and prevention of swine influenza.

Prevention – Swine flu can be prevented by taking certain precautionary measures, such as washing hands frequently with soap or an alcohol-based hand wash. Staying away from infected individuals is important as their coughing or sneezing could spread the infection. If instances of infection are reported in your locality, stay indoors as far as possible. Swine flue vaccine could be out by June 2009.

Reliable Paper offers an extensive line of disinfectants, spray and wipes that will help alleviate the spread of swine flu!

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6 May 2009 at 12:36pm
Women wearing masks to protect against the transmission of swine flu ride a bus in downtown Mexico City, Tuesday, May 5, 2009. Mexico’s Finance Secretary Agustin Carstens said the swine flu outbreak has cost the Mexican economy at least $2.2 billion …

6 New Cases Of Swine Flu Confirmed In NYC – CBS 2

6 May 2009 at 1:41pm
New York state Health Commissioner Richard Daines says New York City has six newly confirmed cases of swine flu, bringing the total there to 80. Statewide, New York has 97 confirmed cases of swine flu, with the majority traced to St. Francis …

NYC has 6 more cases of swine flu; total is 80 – Newsday

6 May 2009 at 1:34pm
of NYC outbreaks; INCORPORATES material in BC-NY–Swine Flu-NY Schools Reopen; CHANGES dateline. ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ New York state Health Commissioner Richard Daines says New York City has six newly confirmed cases of swine flu, bringing the total …

Mexicans return to country emerging from flu – MSNBC

6 May 2009 at 9:37am
May 5: With two Americans being held in China due to swine flu fears, the CDC considers changing its recommendations on when and if U.S. schools should close to deal with the outbreak. NBC?s Tom Costello reports. Dozens of Mexican nationals …

Hillsborough to reopen schools after CDC backs off need for drastic … – St…

6 May 2009 at 11:10am
Story Tools TAMPA ? In an abrupt turnaround, Hillsborough County school officials decided Tuesday night to reopen three schools shut down due to swine flu exposure, hours after the federal government said the virus was less threatening than …

Update: No school closures from new swine flu cases – WBIR

6 May 2009 at 1:34pm
The Tennessee Department of Health now has six probable cases of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, listed for Knox County. The four additional probable cases since the second case was announced Tuesday are all connected to schools in which …

Mexican health officials say swine flu death toll rises to 42 – Orlando Sentinel

6 May 2009 at 7:21am
MEXICO CITY (AP) ? Mexican health officials say that testing of backlogged cases has increased the confirmed swine flu death toll from 31 to 42. That includes three new deaths in the past two days. Officials also have confirmed 1,070 other cases of …

School opens week after swine flu – WTHI

6 May 2009 at 12:29pm
CHICAGO (AP) – Classes are back in session at a school on Chicago’s North Side that was the first in Illinois to close because of swine flu. Kilmer Elementary reopened Wednesday morning. It was closed for a week after a 12-year-old student fell ill …

Mexico swine flu death toll rises to 42 – Times Union

6 May 2009 at 7:14am
MEXICO CITY — Mexican health officials say that testing of backlogged cases has increased the confirmed swine flu death toll from 31 to 42. That includes three new deaths in the past two days. Officials also have confirmed 1,070 other cases of …

Two cases of swine flu suspected in Champaign County – Daily Illini

6 May 2009 at 1:41pm
Two cases of suspected swine flu are under investigation in Champaign County, an official of Champaign-Urbana Public Health District confirmed today. Both people have been hospitalized in Urbana after testing positive for influenza A, said public …

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29 Apr 2009 at 9:49pm
China has launched a campaign to educate all schoolchildren in the symptoms and prevention of swine flu, the government said on Thursday, dpa reported. �� Schools nationwide should educate children about swine flu as soon as possible to raise …

Police seek airline passengers over swine flu fear – News.com.au

29 Apr 2009 at 9:56pm
QUEENSLAND police are seeking two people and thermal imaging scanners have been installed in key state airports as swine flu escalates towards being a pandemic. Police have been called in to help locate two of seven passengers who were on a Los …

State responds to flu – Worthington Daily Globe

29 Apr 2009 at 7:47pm
ST. PAUL ? Minnesota is prepared to respond to a swine flu outbreak, state health leaders say, but the first probable case was a ?wake-up call.? Public health leaders attempted to reassure Minnesotans Wednesday that a well-rehearsed pandemic …

Swine flu has parents second-guessing children’s symptoms – 22 WSBT

29 Apr 2009 at 3:58pm
Story Created: Apr 29, 2009 at 5:42 PM EDT Story Updated: Apr 29, 2009 at 6:40 PM EDT SOUTH BEND ? Children, especially those under 2, are at risk for swine flu. But across the nation, officials are not taking any chances with school-age children …

Queenslanders await swine flu results – ninemsn

29 Apr 2009 at 10:10pm
Twenty-one Queenslanders await results for swine flu tests, as police search for two passengers who shared a flight with New Zealand school children carrying the deadly virus. Five passengers from the Air New Zealand flight, which was later found to …

2 Probable Cases of Swine Flu in Alabama – NBC 15

29 Apr 2009 at 6:57pm

(MONTGOMERY, Ala.) April 29 – The Alabama Department of Health announced Wednesday evening that there are two probable cases of swine flu in the state. The probable cases were detected in two children in Madison, Alabama. Health officials have …

Little boy, far from home, 1st US swine flu death – Philippine Star Online

29 Apr 2009 at 9:27pm
HOUSTON ( AP ) ? He was not yet 2, far from home and dying. The first victim of swine flu in the US was a Mexican toddler who struggled to survive for weeks in Texas hospitals ? long before it was known doctors were dealing with an international …

Closing schools may not halt flu spread – Detroit News

29 Apr 2009 at 10:03pm
Washington — Closing schools won’t necessarily stop the spread of swine flu. What about the younger sister in a private day care center? And how to keep teens who are sent home from getting together at the mall or at each other’s houses? Only about …

Panic at school as girl of 12 becomes the latest swine flu victim – Daily Mail

29 Apr 2009 at 7:04pm
A girl of 12 has become the latest – and youngest – Briton to be diagnosed with deadly swine flu. Hundreds of her frightened school friends were hurriedly innoculated with anti-viral drugs yesterday after confirmation that she had tested positive …

Updated: Two Madison cases probably swine flu, Alabama officials say – Everyt…

29 Apr 2009 at 4:48pm
AP Alabama State Health Officer Don Williams said final confirmation of swine flu in the state will come from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Alabama health officials have identified two cases of probable swine flu from specimens taken …

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Child Care Tax Credit in the News

Tax Deduction For Homeowners

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But what really did the trick for me was this fun and excellent IU Acapella choir ‘Straight No Chaser’ singing Christmas carols.

Christmas carols do not have to be obvious and ‘boring’. If you have any of your bigger kids sing for the family this year, perhaps they can hustle things up a little, like this choir does, for some fun, kicks and drama.

Silent Night

There is still enough time for them to play and practice their made-up original songs made up of a medley of old Christmas carol classics.

Mickey’s Christmas Carol

And for their performance, perhaps they can even dress up in a fun costume, like a great Mickey Mouse outfit …..! (This poster makes a great gift btw.)

Alternatively, if your kids are not so into singing, or a bit more shy, reading a short-version of a classic Christmas story for the family.

It is another great way for children to show off their skills, and to be positively involved in preparing for the big family get togethers.

It is important to children to be part of the togetherness, and by contributing to the big event, it makes them feel important, invited, and special.

I look forward to hearing how you are managing to involve your youngsters this year in fun and constructive ways.

Copyright 2007 by RaiseYourChild.org. All Rights Reserved.

We’re not often doing product reviews on this blog. However, this particular toy cat has been the love of my life (and my daughter’s) for two years now, so that when I came across this article on them, I thought to publish it. It’s one of the few toys that I don’t mind giving nor getting. In fact, last year, our daughter’s Fur Real cat pet got a kitten…

“Fur Real Friends Cat, So Real We Can’t Tell the Difference
By Amanda Isbitt

click on image

Fur Real Friends are incredible, sweet and lifelike toys that behave just in the same way that real animals do. The Fur Real Friends cat is a real sweetie, sitting up and lying down just like a real cat would! She responds to being touched and petted by purring and moving much in the same way that a regular pet cat would.

She is capable of moving both her head and neck in all directions, up, down, left and right. Her ears can also move, and her eyes and mouth are capable of opening and closing.

Just like a real cat, she has facial expressions and swishes her tail to convey the emotions that a cat would convey. When you pick her up, she moves her legs in a lifelike way as well.

The Fur Real Friends cat is so real, it’s hard to tell the difference! She’s just the right size to be your perfect companion pet, and loves to play with you and respond to your touches when you pet her. Be careful not to pull her tail, however, as she will hiss at you just like a normal pet cat would!

click on image

You have to take care of her just like a real live pet cat, making sure to treat her right and give her plenty of love. The Fur Real Friends Cat has sensors in her head that are capable of detecting light, and sensors on her back, stomach and in her tail that detect petting, stroking and tail pulling.

Fur Real Friends Cats are designed to be magical companions and friends that literally spring into life in your arms. These Fur Real Friends are designed to mimic the appearance, demeanor and actions of a real live cat. They feature legs, head, neck and ears that are fully animated.

Eyes and mouth are both capable of opening and closing just like a real cat. Your Fur Real Friends Cat will respond to stroking and petting, changes in the light, and even sounds.

Your Fur Real Friend has lifelike eyes and makes lifelike sounds that closely mimic the experiences you would have with a real pet cat. However, requiring only 3 C batteries, which come included with your Fur Real Friend means owning this kitty is a lot easier on the budget, never mind that it does not have to be cleaned up after!

Are you looking for the perfect gift this holiday season? The Fur Real Pets Friends Cat is recommended for children aged 4 and up.

click on image

Because the Fur Real Friends Cat includes small and moving parts, older children can typically get more out of the Fur Real Friends Cats than those that are younger. Insert three included C cell batteries and your brand new companion kitty will literally spring to life, offering truly lifelike motions, sounds and responses to your attentions.

These Fur Real Friends make excellent gifts, especially for children experimenting with the idea of taking care of a real live pet sometime in the future. Before you bring home a real kitten or puppy, give your child a shot at caring for their very own Fur Real Friends Cat, which is as close as you can get to the real thing without requiring a litter box!

For More Information Fur Real Pets

Copyright 2007 by RaiseYourChild.org. All Rights Reserved.

I think GPS systems are the greatest. (Global Position System) I know a few people who definitely need them. A few years ago we had guests driving from California to our home in Utah to stay over night. It was about a ten hour drive. I gave what I thought was excellent instructions and directions so they would not get lost. The night (early morning) my guests were to arrive I woke up at 3:00 a.m. with a start as Maggie hadn’t arrived. (She didn’t follow my directions, instead made up her own). From our place they were driving back to Washington D.C.. Her sister said she was afraid to take a nap because she was afraid she would wake up in Mexico. A GPS in her car will save her hours of frustration and time.

With the holidays arriving GPS is a great idea for all of us to have. The GPS I am talking about is: Great Planning System. By planning ahead we can have a happy stress free, joyous holiday season. Christmas can be one of the most stressful holidays. But with forethought and organization it can be fun and a holiday to look forward to instead of dreading.

First of all we need to decide what it is we want to get from the holidays. Do we want to have big dinners, entertain friends, and attend every function we are invited to, decorate, bake, spend time with family, send out Christmas cards, exchange neighbor gifts, establish traditions, give to charity or do something unique this year?

Once we have our goals in mind then we can move forward.

•Take some time and decide what is important for you to do this year for the holiday. Then write it down, map it out.

•Establish a time frame to accomplish each task. If it isn’t accomplished in the time we thought it would be, no beating up on ourselves or negative self talk. And if it doesn’t get done ask yourself what is the worst that can happen?

•Cook food ahead of time and freeze it. Some pies freeze well as do cookies. Check your recipes to see what else you can make and freeze.

•Plan on delegating. Who can put up the outdoor lights? Who can do the food shopping? Who can help decorate? Get a crew together to share in the fun.

•Plan a specific time to decorate, another to bake, another to deliver gifts—whatever you plan break it up into little jobs, a little at a time.

•If you send out Christmas cards, organize a basket with the cards, addresses and stamps, and then while watching a T.V. show address the envelopes on the commercials. Do cards in November to save time in December. OR Instead of sending cards, call your friends to wish them a Merry Christmas. Long distance calls have become so reasonable it may cost less than sending a card.

•Keep a notebook with the names of those you are giving gifts to. Check off the gift as it is purchased and make a note when it is wrapped and sent. You could do this on a spread sheet if you use the computer.

•If your family will let you mix up your traditions, try a new one, customize to your own personal preference.

Through all the planning remember this is to be a joyous season; don’t get sucked into thinking you have to do it all. Actually you don’t have to do any of it so have fun with what you decide you really want to do.

About The Author
Marilyn Bohn is a creative organizer who has been organizing for over 20 years. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers.She holds a bachelors degree in Social Work. She has reared five daughters and currently lives in Utah.

Go to her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find free organizing tips and interesting blogs and helpful articles on organizing.

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This article certainly gives a more comprehensive and soulful meaning to Halloween. It offers interesting stories and good values for you to relay to your children. ((A notch up from orange candy without going organic )

Below is the first part of the story…

“At its core, Samhain is about the night when the old God dies and the crone Goddess mourns him deeply for the next six weeks. The popular image of her as the old Halloween hag stirring her cauldron comes from the Celtic belief that all dead souls return to her cauldron of life, death and rebirth to await reincarnation.”
…. more ~ read the whole story here

Copyright 2007 by RaiseYourChild.org. All Rights Reserved.

The Parents magazine cover kid photo contest ends June 24, 2008, so moms and dads need to enter their pictures of kids very soon. The editors of Parents are looking for the cutest kid in America between six months and six years old to be the cover kid of the magazine’s November 2008 issue. Entries are being accepted at http://www.parents.com/app/sharemy/category.jsp?categoryId=cat15400001.

Visitors to the Contest website have been invited to make one recommendation per day during the Contest period for the entry the visitor feels should be featured on the cover of Parents magazine. While visitor recommendations will not be used as criteria in the judging of entries in any round, the editors of Parents want to thank all those who visited the site and made recommendations.

“We especially want to thank all the mommy bloggers who not only entered the Parents magazine cover kid photo contest themselves but also encouraged other moms and dads to enter pictures of kids as well,” says Judy Goldberg, Senior Editor of Parents magazine. “We’ve created a Web badge for these members of the parenting community to post on their mom blogs and dad blogs.”

The Parents magazine judges will review all of the entries and choose 20 semifinalists based on the criteria set forth in the Official Rules. Semifinalists will be asked to provide more pictures for consideration, and then five finalists will be selected to fly to New York City for a professional photo shoot from August 18-23, 2008. One of the photos from that shoot will be selected as the November cover shot.

To enter Parents magazine’s online baby photo contest, just upload a picture of your child to most gorgeous child of all will appear on the November 2008 cover of Parents.

Parents magazine has been America’s number one family magazine for more than 80 years. Since its inception in 1926, it has been a trusted source by every generation of parents. Currently, the magazine is a powerful community of 15.6 million readers devoted to supporting the efforts of parents, educators and other citizens who strive to make the world a better place for our children. Parents can be found online at http://www.parents.com/.

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By the time your teen is in high school, you probably aren’t taking as many pictures of them as you used to. I have to keep reminding myself that I only have a couple of years left and no time to waste trying to capture fleeing teenage memories.

You might be thinking that I’m really organized to be already working on scrapbooking my daughter’s high school memories. To be honest, I have a shoe box full of pictures of my daughter waiting for me to get to someday.

But if I wait until “someday” to continue taking pictures because I already have so many pictures I haven’t done anything with, then my daughter’s teenage years will come and go while I try to catch up.

I don’t want to chronicle every detail of my daughter’s life (nor would she want me to!), but I was trying to think of some memories that she might want to laugh about and maybe even treasure someday. So how do you do that without ending up with pages and pages of memories?

I decided to do two large (12×12) pages (facing each other in the album) for each year of high school. I will challenge myself to use this space creatively to tell the story of each year. When I started thinking of all the the possibilities, it really inspired me to start getting organized and collecting some great memories. And don’t limit yourself to just photographs, your scrapbook pages can really be accentuated by other types of memories. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Photograph Ideas:

• High School Dances

• First Date/Boyfriend

• School Building

• Church Events/Retreats

• Braces (the day they’re removed)

• Hair Styles

• Clothing Fads

• Learning to Drive

• First Job

• First Car

• Best Friends

• School Plays/Concerts

• Family Vacations

• Favorite Family Pets

• Babysitting

• Sports/Band/Cheerleading

• Musical Instrument Practice

Other:

• CD Covers (scanned)

• Favorite Song Lyrics

• Drivers’ Permit

• First Pay Stub

• Programs from Play/Concerts

• College Brochures

• School Newspapers

• ASB Card

• Awards/Certificates

• Ticket Stubs (concert, movie, sporting events)

• Report Cards

You can be creative when you’re arranging your layouts. Don’t be afraid to cut pictures down or cut out portions of play programs or school newspapers. Just cut out enough to accentuate the other items on the page. You will create the overall effect from the entire page, not necessarily from an individual item.

Have fun and don’t worry if you don’t get it done all at one time. I figure if I can do one every summer for the previous school year, by the time she finishes high school (she’s a freshman this year), all of her high school memories will be recorded in the family archives.

About The Author

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of four. For more
inspirational articles and tips for everyday living, visit her
web sites at http://www.creativehomemaking.com and
http://www.crafty-moms.com

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