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Alaska health officials confirmed the state’s first fatal case of Alaskapox — a recently discovered viral disease. An elderly immunocompromised man from the Kenai peninsula, south of Anchorage, died while undergoing treatment in late January, the Anchorage Daily News reported. He is one of only seven reported Alaskapox infections, the Alaska Department of Public Health said in an announcement on Friday. “People should not necessarily be concerned but more aware,” said Julia Rogers, a state epidemiologist. “So we’re hoping to make clinicians more aware of what Alaskapox virus is, so that they can identify signs and symptoms.” The double-stranded-DNA virus,...

Chipmunks And Shrews, Not Just Mice, Harbor Lyme DiseaseChipmunks may harbor as much as 13 percent of lyme-infected ticks. (Credit: iStockphoto)ScienceDaily (Dec. 6, 2007) — A study led by a University of Pennsylvania biologist in the tick-infested woods of the Hudson Valley is challenging the widely held belief that mice are the main animal reservoir for Lyme disease in the U.S. The paper demonstrates that chipmunks and two shrew species, not just mice, are the four species that account for major outbreaks. According to the study, white-footed mice account for about a quarter of infected ticks. Short-tailed shrews and masked...

Scientists are developing a pill which could boost women's libido and reduce their appetite. The hormone-releasing pill has so far only been given to female monkeys and shrews who displayed more mating behaviour and ate less. Around 40% of women are said to experience low libido at some point

“Enraged and Engaged” The women of the Left whine again. By Carrie Lukas Ever subtle, feminist groups last week launched the “Enraged and Engaged” campaign in anticipation of Senate hearings on Samuel Alito. The National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Feminist Majority pledged to mobilize their grassroots activists to warn the public and the vote-wielding senators about the danger Alito poses to America and American women in particular. The hyperbole is familiar to anyone who’s followed politics during the last decade: Feminist groups regularly proclaim that nominees, candidates or legislation spell doom for women. Bush-administration appointees — from John...

I was watching Maureen Dowd on Larry King last night and something she said jumped out at me. Read the quotes in bold below. One is from Maureen Dowd and the other is from Mary Mapes. (Both were on Larry King last week-but not on the same day). Obviously, journalism standards change from story to story depending on how they can be used to smear a Republican president: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0511/12/lkl.01.htmlKING:[talking about Judy Miller] Was she doing her job or was she caught up in it? DOWD: I think she was too creditable. And too, you know, investigative reporting is not stenography....

IT IS high time men came out of their cocoon shells and report all cases of harassment perpetrated on them by their partners. There has been a steady increase of men who have been taking their lives following harassment and violence by their partners. The unfortunate development comes against a campaign by some civic organisations that indicate 99 percent of women are survivors of gender based violence in this country. These statistics are however as of 1996. It is however apparent that the situations could have changed as reports on violence against men continue to be highlighted in the Press....