A1A South

Seasonal influenza strains constantly evolve in overlapping epidemics in Asia and sweep the rest of the world each year, according to an international research team publishing in the 18 April issue of the journal Science.

The findings suggest that by focusing surveillance efforts on East and Southeast Asia, researchers may be able to extend their forecast of the flu strains most likely to cause epidemics, which may in turn help experts decide which strains should go in the flu vaccine each year.

“The flu virus is constantly mutating, so it’s a major challenge for public health as well as a fascinating example of evolution in action. This study advances our knowledge of how new flu strains spread across the globe and how epidemics arise,” said Katrina Kelner, Science’s deputy managing editor, life sciences.

Read the rest here:

Well, we’ve long suspected that Asia is the breeding ground for flu virus mutations. Now we know for sure.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A female corrections officer was beaten and raped Thursday morning by an inmate in the law library on the fifth floor of the Duval County jail, Sheriff John Rutherford announced.

The veteran officer was beaten, threatened and “viciously sexually assaulted” by Jonathan Tave, who was in jail awaiting trial for a 2005 homicide, according to the sheriff’s office.

“He armed himself with some type of shank and used that to overcome the officer and then sexually batter her,” Rutherford said. “She was punched and beaten, as well as (the prisoner) using the shank.

Although the inmate had a shank — a makeshift knife — Rutherford said she was not stabbed.

Tave, 26, is described as 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighing 230 pounds. He was taken into custody without resistance after the incident.

The victim, a 29-year veteran of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Authorities said her injuries were serious, but not life-threatening.

Rutherford said the victim worked in the library and regularly assisted prisoners with legal research. She carried standard correctional officer equipment — pepper spray, handcuffs and a radio.

“I think this is an indication of the type of people we house in our pre-trial detention facility, and the kind of danger our corrections officers, men and women, face every day,” Rutherford said.

Tave was awaiting trial on charges of murder, premeditated murder, arson, armed robbery, possession of a firearm by convicted felon, and battery on detention officer. He will now face additional charges.

Rutherford said they were shocked by the violence of the attack and would examine policy, but his first impression was that no procedures were violated.

Source: News4Jax

At this point, details are rather vague. What we know is that the perp was a very, VERY bad young man, as well as a very large and strong young man. When he gets to court, nothing he could do to the corrections officer would make his eventual sentence more severe as he is already facing life in prison or the death penalty, so he has little to lose from an assault/rape charge.

Additional information here:

My mom and I saw my youngest brother off at the airport this morning. It had been a long time between visits (where does the time go?) and mom was very affected by her baby leaving.

“I told Steve that when Bob (stepdad, who has end-stage COPD) dies, I’m going to move up there near him.”

I looked over at her in surprise. “Uh, you HATE the cold and ice. You have Raynaud’s, and your hands and feet get all purply in the cold.”

“But I can’t stand the heat, either, anymore, and we have 9 months of it!”

“You can turn the A/C on and drive to the store in your car. You have more like 9 months of winter there. You really want to drive around in the ice and snow?”

“Well, I just can’t keep the place up. I might only have a couple of years left before it gets to be too much for me.”

“What’s to keep up? A coat of paint every couple of years? I can do that!” (If she would mention to me that she wanted it done, which she hasn’t.)

“There’s your middle brother, too. I don’t think he’ll ever have a place of his own. I can go up there, buy a place, and we’ll live together. It will give him a home.”

I was glad I wasn’t drinking anything so I didn’t snort it out my nose. My mom is a super Baptist. She prays loud and long at every meal. She has bible readings (aloud). The brother that she is concerned about, the one we (she and I) haven’t seen in years, is a genuinely nice and gentle guy. He’s a carpenter and (very accomplished) tattoo artist. He has friends in (very) low places. He is no stranger to illicit substances and is a practicing alcoholic. I love him to death, but……I just don’t see it happening. Oh, mercy. I’d kinda like to be there, though, when she prayed for the souls of him and all of his buddies. Road trip?

I suggested to her that maybe, just maybe, before she went and put the (paid for) house on the market, she might want to fly up in the winter and give it a trial run for a month or so. Just in case.

No. 10: There weren’t as many Osmonds as he thought.

No. 9: Got tired of the corkscrew landings of his campaign plane while under fire.

No. 8: As a lifelong hunter, I didn’t want to miss the start of varmint season.

No. 7: There wasn’t room for two Christian leaders in the presidential race.

No. 6: I was upset that no one bothered to search my passport files.

No. 5: I’d rather get fat, grow a beard and try for the Nobel prize.

No. 4: When my wife realized I couldn’t win the GOP nomination, my fundraising dried up.

No. 3: Got tired of wearing a dark suit and tie, and I wanted to kick back in a light colored suit and tie.

No. 2: I took a bad fall at a campaign rally and broke my hair.

And the No. 1 reason Romney dropped out: His campaign relied on a flawed campaign strategy that as Utah goes, so goes the nation.

The Sunshine State outshone all others in Forbes’ 2008 list of America’s Cleanest Cities, with the Tampa-St. Petersburg area coming in at No. 8 out of 49 U.S. metro areas with populations of more than 1 million. Miami took the top spot, with Orlando and Jacksonville not far behind.

So how did Florida get so many breaths of fresh air? Forbes’ report notes several factors:

The state Department of Environmental Protection has been taking steps to help power plants reduce harmful emissions. Tampa Electric Co., in particular, has been recognized for its efforts to reduce emissions.

The DEP also has focused on fighting direct and indirect pollution of public waters.

Then there’s Mother Nature, whose sea breezes have been known to blow away smog.

Corrie Benfield

ABOUT THE RANKINGS

Forbes based its rankings on a combination of these factors:

Air pollution and ozone levels for the metropolitan statistical area, provided by the American Lung Association.

The cities’ per-capita spending on Superfund site cleanup and solid-waste management.

Water cleanliness statistics compiled by the University of Cincinnati from local reports of EPA violations. The rankings were based on reports of bacteria, chlorine byproducts and chemicals, or metals in the drinking water.

THE TOP 10

1. Miami

2. Seattle

3. Jacksonville

4. Orlando

5. Portland, Ore.

6. San Francisco

7. Oklahoma City

8. Tampa-St. Petersburg

9. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.

10. San Jose-Sunnyvale, Calif.

Source: Tampa Bay Online

When I flew in and out of Jacksonville several years ago, we had to descend through a yellowish cloud of pollution. That pollution is no longer there. I suspect the paper mills closing had a lot to do with it. Former mayor Tommy Hazouri championed closing down the toll booths on the bridges, cutting idling engine time.