Seems that scientists have managed to alter the avian flu’s (H5N1) gene structure in such a manner as to make it catchable by mammals, us be in the mammal in question. The avian flu, you may or may not know, is extremely pathogenic and in the rare cases where humans have caught it, is 60% fatal!

So, now not only has a highly transmissible form  been developed, but these geniuses also want to publish a paper telling the world how they did it! Hamas are you taking notes?

If you want to read more on this breaking story, please click here.

The problem they say is that researchers in a recent study conducted by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London found that while over 95% of those tested claim they wash their hands after using the bathroom, only about 12% actually do so. If, true, that would give services like the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control something to think about.

This finding, coming on the heels of the popular movie Contagion, has prompted some to push for a global hand washing ad campaign to encourage everyone to do their part to stop the spread of contagious diseases like Influenza.

I understand that for many millions of Americans, All Hallows Eve or Halloween, is a time of parties, candy and dressing up in costumes. And were that all it was, I would never utter a single complaint.

Oh wait one moment! Yes, I do have a complaint! I’ve long suspected that the whole deal has been pushed along by the mega corporations that make candy! They get rich off of the millions of bags of assorted Sweet Tarts and Snickers sold every year and have a vested interest in seeing the tradition maintained. Then too, the dentists are kept very busy by the aftermath of all those sweets on kid’s enamel.

But that’s not what I’m really complaining about. What I’m concerned about is a disease that is becoming one of the fasting growing killers in our history; Diabetes. A disease that is becoming all too common and which even now may be helping to collapse our health care system here in America. As a nation, we are already in bed with sugar. Do we need to something like Halloween to give it an exclamation point!

Seriously, as parents, if you are going to launch your children on this horrific path by allowing them to gorge themselves on sweets, at least let them know what may be in store for them later on in life. (And, if you are really serious about a healthy lifestyle, why not keep your kids home and pass out apples or oranges instead? That is assuming you can afford them).

My other gripe about Halloween is the manner in which it has changed in meaning over the years, especially in recent decades where costumes have taken on increasingly darker meanings. I’m referring, of course, to the large upswing in the worship of witchcraft and all things vampire. While I’m sure that the vast majority of kids understand that this stuff is fake, there are some who end up embracing some of its darker and more sinister aspects. Also, there are the costumes coming out these days that are rather too racist for my tastes, thank you very much.

The bottom line, I feel, is that we are entering a time where religion is coming under attack from many sources. In a recent poll, 64% of Americans felt this statement to be true. Do we need then, to continue a practice that in any way exonerates the devil, while at the same time helping to rot our kids teeth? I don’t know. You parent out there will have to make that call.

A scary movie to be sure, but what if there is some truth to such a scenario?

Right now, out in the world at large, there are two forms of influenza that have viral scientists really concerned; Swine flu and the so-called Bird flu. Known in scientific circles as H1N1 and H5N1, both have properties that make them very scary indeed. The Swine flu, because it has shown itself to be extremely contagious; able to leap continents in single bounds. After first appearing in late 2009, it quickly spread to almost every corner of the planet infecting as many as two billion in the process. And that was in just one year! Thankfully for us, it was not very virulent, only killing less than a tenth of a percent of the people who caught it. (Yet, even at such a small percentage, that still equated to a large number dead)!

Contrast that form of influenza with the Type A H5N1 ‘Bird’ flu; a bug that does not easily spread from person to person, but which is extraordinarily virulent, killing close to 60% of those who catch it. By comparison, the infamous 1918 Flu that killed up to 50 million worldwide was only about 2% fatal.

Imagine then, what would happen if both the Swine and the Bird flu happen to infect the same person or pig at the same time and then ”mix genes’ to produce a new strain! One that is easy to catch and that kills most of the people who catch it! A combination that could set the stage for mass fatalities on a scale unimagined by humankind and which would make this movie version look like a walk in the park!

As of this writing, no such strain yet exists. However, WHO authorities have been quoted as saying that the next pandemic, ‘is not a question of if, but one of when.’

Like a cat softly entering a room on cushioned paws, a new killer may be stalking the land. Known as NDM-1 (New Delhi metallo-beta- lactamase 1) this gene fragment becomes deadly whenever it gets inserted into a bacterium’s genetic structure. If a bacteria strain carries the NDM-1 gene, it is resistant to nearly all antibiotics, including carbapenem antibiotics – also known as antibiotics of last resort. Scientists fear that at some point there may be people who will acquire and infection of the sort that cannot be cured; reminiscent of Medieval Times when even a small cut could prove fatal!

First discovered only a year ago by a group of British researchers, NDM-1 is now thought to be proliferating itself through a mechanism known as ‘horizontal gene transfer’; a process by which the gene for NDM-1 travels on a plasmid, an extra-chomosomal loop of DNA that can be traded freely among bacteria. Like children trading baseball cards, the gene can move rapidly from one form of bacteria to another.

At this time, it is thought that the gene mostly confined to just a couple of strains of bacteria, such as E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. However, due to the way that bacteria like MRSA are known to trade genes they fear it only a matter of time before a new generation of so-called Superbugs spring into being. Already, NDM-1 is widespread in India and Pakistan, and it has reached Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia.

After receiving money from the Obama administration, I wisely invested in a ‘fixer upper’ restaurant in what is quite frankly a poor section of town. The place cost over $200K, but I really didn’t care as it was not my money! Ha Ha! I’m also told the location is such that if I get in a pinch, I can sell drugs out the back door. Sweet! Also, please note there is water only on occasion (corroded pipes) and the sewer keeps backing up after a hard rain. (So, if you have to go often, please try and wait for a sunny day). These code problems were ‘fixed’ by greasing the palms of the Building Inspector just prior to my grand opening last week. Oh, and did I mention that the power is off at this time. Turns out the aluminum wiring keeps overheating and tripping the breakers. I’m having an electrician friend of mine come out and removing those pesky breakers. There! Problems all solved.

The WSO are portraying themselves as an alternative to the greedy, overly clean men and women of

Wall Street. ‘Like man, we are the Future of America’, one Occupier was heard yelling as he ran around the park in nothing more than a thong and tennis shoes.