Inside the Fight Against a Flu Pandemic - TIME

Inside the Fight Against a Flu Pandemic - TIME: "at Camp Modin in Belgrade, Maine, carrying flip-flops, sleeping bags and swimsuits. But they also carried something new. First there was one fever, then six, then nine campers in a single day. By the end of the first full week, dozens of kids were sleeping on state-issued cots in a specially quarantined cabin"

Veteran's info

ron thomas
I dropped in to visit the VA office in town yesterday and found out some good news.

For months now the VA has been promising a local Dr.'s office in Newport. Finally, it is a done deal. A Portland VA Dr. that lives in Lincoln City will be in Newport 3 days a week starting this October. The location of the new office has not been selected yet.

Many of you that are veterans but did not participate in a conflict should know that VA health benefits are for all veterans. In June rules for inclusion into the system were relaxed and many of you are now eligible. Check it out.. Visit the VA office here in Newport... The man running it is your advocate and he does a superior job of helping you get on board.

The recent National health care debates have pointed out that the VA provides the best health care in the United States and if you are a VET then it is free to you. My opinion, based on what I have experienced, It is a 4 star system.

Other news to your benefit. The VA provides financing and refinancing for modular homes on leased land. Ask your VA rep here in Newport.

California city shuts down girl's lemonade stand | McClatchy

California city shuts down girl's lemonade stand | McClatchy: "Hoping to raise money for a family trip to Disneyland, the Tulare girl opened a lemonade stand Monday. But because Daniela didn't have a business license, the city of Tulare shut it down the same day."

Engine rattle is rattlesnake in Klamath Falls woman's car | Local News | kgw.com | News for Portland Oregon and SW Washington

Engine rattle is rattlesnake in Klamath Falls woman's car | Local News | kgw.com | News for Portland Oregon and SW Washington: "There were a couple of things wrong with Katie Prewitt's Geo Tracker. There was the rope that seemed to hang from the car's undercarriage. And then that hissing noise; maybe a faulty emissions valve."

Voyage to the Pacific Ocean's garbage patch: Sadness, anger and a plea to help avoid catastrophic changes in the marine ecosystem: Scientific American Blog

Voyage to the Pacific Ocean's garbage patch: Sadness, anger and a plea to help avoid catastrophic changes in the marine ecosystem: Scientific American Blog: "Scuba instructor and underwater videographer Drew Wheeler is traveling on board the Algalita Marine Research Foundation's 50-foot Ocean Research Vessel, Alguita, on a two-month voyage to sample and study portions of a 10-million-square-mile oval known as the North Subtropical Gyre (aka 'Pacific garbage patch'). Wheeler and the rest of the Alguita crew left Long Beach, Calif., on June 10 with a plan to cross the International Date Line and investigate regions of reported high plastic concentrations, northwest of the Hawaiian Islands. This is his eighth blog post for Scientific American.com."

Seventh Oregon swine flu death reported | Local News | kgw.com | News for Portland Oregon and SW Washington

Seventh Oregon swine flu death reported | Local News | kgw.com | News for Portland Oregon and SW Washington: "It was the seventh death in Oregon attributed to swine flu.

More than 530 cases of the H1N1 virus have also been confirmed in the state."

Tsunami report highlights threats to Oregon Coast | Local News | kgw.com | News for Portland Oregon and SW Washington

Tsunami report highlights threats to Oregon Coast | Local News | kgw.com | News for Portland Oregon and SW Washington: "A recently published report takes a closer look at the tsunami threat to Cannon Beach and Oregon's coastal communities -- and the hazards appear worse than previously concluded."

NOAA to base research boats, jobs in Newport, Ore. | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional

NOAA to base research boats, jobs in Newport, Ore. | KATU.com - Portland, Oregon | Local & Regional:

YAY!

"SEATTLE (AP) - The central Oregon coastal town of Newport will be the new base for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's research ships on the West Coast, the federal agency announced Tuesday."

"'An intelligence test sometimes shows a man how smart he would have been not to have taken it.'"

Batty Jacky

In the backyard.... on the beautiful patio deck... now sits what was once a tree (man-made)... you know an umbrella!

Great for making shade and moving the shade from here to there... Now it is a sinister cave and no longer an umbrella! How could an umbrella be a cave you ask? When a bat takes up day time residence in its folds! Now you can see Jacky move extraordinarily fast as she seeks hiding when she opens the umbrella. The little fella likes his new home and Jacky covers her neck as she runs hooting around the yard when the umbrella is extended.
Me thinks she is watching to many vampire movies on TV.

The Puppy Diaries - Our Puppy Whisperer - Series - NYTimes.com

The Puppy Diaries - Our Puppy Whisperer - Series - NYTimes.com: "Pure joy is Scout at the beach, paddling in the water, her adorable head bobbing above the waves.
Skip to next paragraph
The Puppy Diaries

When training your dog, do you prefer a Cesar Millan-style pack leader approach or positive reinforcement?

She is so cute it is hard to be tough.

In her mouthing during play, Scout has drawn blood on my forearm. On walks, she either pulls on the leash or refuses to budge. When a rabbit ran by us the other night, I almost landed in a ditch. Although we have had some luck teaching her to sit and come, our puppy training skills are rusty and the Monks, wise as they are, sometimes don’t have instant answers to our problems."

Scientist at Work - Stephen Kurtin - Making Eyeglasses With a Mechanically Adjustable Focus - NYTimes.com

Scientist at Work - Stephen Kurtin - Making Eyeglasses With a Mechanically Adjustable Focus - NYTimes.com: "The glasses have a tiny adjustable slider on the bridge of the frame that makes it possible to focus alternately on the page of a book, a computer screen or a mountain range in the distance."

Local Alert Map from WeatherBug.com

Local Alert Map from WeatherBug.com: "ALERT 1 - Red Flag Warning
FIRE WEATHER WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR ABUNDANT LIGHTNING AND CRITICALLY DRY FUELS FOR THE WILLAMETTE VALLEY, NORTH COAST RANGE, CENTRAL AND NORTH OREGON COAST, THE WILLAPA HILLS, AND SOUTH WASHINGTON CASCADES AND FOOTHILLS
Issued: Saturday, August 01, 2009 2:38 PM PDT
Expires: Sunday, August 02, 2009 11:00 AM PDT"