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Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Print version ISSN 0074-0276On-line version ISSN 1678-8060
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz vol.96 no.3 Rio de Janeiro Apr. 2001
Prevalence and Intensity of Infections of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura and Associated Socio-demographic Variables in Four Rural Honduran Communities
Vol. 96(3): 303-314, April 2001
HM Smith, RG DeKaminsky**, S Niwas*, RJ Soto***, PE Jolly/+
Department of Epidemiology and International Health, School of Public Health *Biostatistics Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama, 1665 University Boulevard, Ryals Building, Room 217, Birmingham, Alabama 35294-0022, USA **Dirección de Investigación Cientifica, Unidad de Investigación Cientifica, Facultad de Ciencias Medicas ***Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Between January and March 1998, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in four rural communities in Honduras, Central America. We examined the prevalence and intensity of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura infections among 240 fecal specimens, and the association between selected socio-demographic variables and infection for 62 households. The overall prevalence of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura was 45% (95% CI 39.0-51.9) and 38% (95% CI 31.8-44.4) respectively. The most intense infections for Ascaris and Trichuris were found in children aged 2-12 years old. By univariate analysis variables associated with infections of A. lumbricoides were: number of children 2-5 years old (p=0.001), level of formal education of respondents (p=0.01), reported site of defecation of children in households (p=0.02), households with children who had a recent history of diarrhea (p=0.002), and the location of households (p=0.03). Variables associated with both A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infection included: number of children 6-14 years old (p=0.01, p=0.04, respectively), ownership of a latrine (p=0.04, p=0.03, respectively) and coinfection with either helminth (p=0.001, p=0.001, respectively). By multivariate analysis the number of children 2-5 years living in the household, (p=0.01, odds ratio (OR)=22.2), children with a recent history of diarrhea (p=0.0, OR=39.8), and infection of household members with T. trichiura (p=0.02, OR=16.0) were associated with A. lumbricoides infection. The number of children 6-14 years old in the household was associated with both A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infection (p=0.04, p=0.01, OR=19.2, OR=5.2, respectively).
Key words: intestinal helminths - Ascaris lumbricoides - Trichuris trichiura - prevalence - intensity - risk factors - Honduras
Intestinal parasites remain a major health problem in many developing countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there were 1000 million cases of ascariasis due to Ascaris lumbricoides, and 500 million cases of Trichuris trichiura infection worldwide (WHO 1987). In 1994, Chan et al. (1994c) estimated that worldwide there were 1471 million and 1048 million cases of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections, respectively. Clinically, A. lumbricoides can cause blockage of the intestine and T. trichiura has been associated with dysentery (Cooper et al. 1992). Both helminths have also been associated with stunted growth (Cooper & Bundy 1988, Stephenson et al. 1989, 1993, Adams et al. 1994, Simeon et al. 1995, Hadju et al. 1996, 1997, Saldiva et al. 1999) and impaired cognitive functions in children (Nokes et al. 1992a, b, Oberhelman et al. 1998). Another common soil transmitted helminth that causes severe morbidity and is often found with A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections is hookworm (WHO 1987). However, hookworm infection will not be included in this research since the method used (Kato thick smear) for detecting eggs in the study was not suitable for recovery of hookworm eggs.
Countries in Central America, such as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, have a high prevalence of parasitic infections. A survey of intestinal parasites in children with diarrhea in El Salvador, demonstrated that 18% of the children were infected with A. lumbricoides and 31% with T. trichiura (Reinthaler et al. 1988). In Guatemala, 41% of the population in a rural village was infected with A. lumbricoides and 60% with T. trichiura (Anderson et al. 1993). Data from 14 public health laboratories in Honduras for 1991 showed A. lumbricoides infections in people of all ages ranging from 70% in Tocoa at the northern coast to 5% in Nacaome, near the Pacific coast. Percentages of individuals infected with T. trichiura were lower, ranging from 32% to 1% in the above mentioned areas (Kaminsky 1996a).
Although many studies regarding intestinal parasites focus on establishing the prevalence and intensity of these infections in different populations, fewer studies have examined the socio-cultural factors that affect transmission of intestinal helminths. Some studies have shown that the lack of education, lack of latrines, occurrence of diarrhea, lower socio-economic status, inadequate disposal of human excreta and the level of sanitation in households are related to parasitoses (Cooper & Bundy 1988, Holland et al. 1988, Yasuf & Hussain 1990, Rajeswari et al. 1994, Tshikuka et al. 1995, Ighogboja et al. 1997, Mahfouz et al. 1997, Pegelow et al. 1997, Gamboa et al. 1998). These reports coupled with the fact that there have been few surveys designed to determine associations between socio-cultural variables and intestinal helminth prevalence data prompted us to initiate this study in four rural Honduran communities.
In this study, we collaborated with Project UNIR (unite) based at the Panamerican Agricultural School (Escuela Agricola Panamericana- EAP), El Zamorano. The School is located in the Zamorano Valley, 40 km from Tegucigalpa, the nation's capital and was very willing and helpful in providing the necessary facilities and accommodations for one of us (HMS). Project UNIR is an organization at the EAP that was established in 1996. Its principal goals are both rural development and land conservation. We studied the prevalence and intensity of Ascaris and Trichuris infections in individuals of all ages in four communities under UNIR, and identified variables that have an important association with such infections.
Study area and population - A cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and March 1998, in four rural communities in Honduras: El Llano, El Chaguite, Santa Ines, and El Chaguite-Belen. These communities were selected because they were part of an on-going nutritional study being conducted by students and staff under UNIR at the EAP and were accessible. El Llano, El Chaguite, and Santa Ines are located in the municipality of San Antonio de Oriente. El Chaguite-Belen lies in the municipality of Maraita. These municipalities form part of the department of Francisco Morazan (Fig. 1). The estimated populations of El Llano, El Chaguite, Santa Ines and El Chaguite-Belen were 261, 437, 237 and 225 respectively. The four communities are located 40-60 km from Tegucigalpa, the nation's capital. The majority of the inhabitants were subsistence farmers and had limited access to major cities.
Collection of data - Approval for this study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and local institutions in Honduras. The EAP provided facilities, laboratory space and equipment. Prior to the beginning of the study, community meetings were held in public schools in the four communities. The study was discussed with the community members who were informed that their participation was voluntary. A pilot questionnaire was subsequently administered to two individuals from two separate households in Santa Ines and El Chaguite-Belen, respectively. Maps of each community were obtained from UNIR office files. Names of the heads-of-households were obtained from community members. Households to be visited were randomly selected using the listed names of the head-of-household. It is noteworthy that "household" may have been comprised of more than one dwelling unit. The criteria for participation were that participants were related to the head-of-household, and/or considered themselves as members of the household. The entire household, except children less than 2 years old, was included in the study. Excluded from the study were individuals who did not live fulltime in the community being surveyed and households where individuals had completed the pilot questionnaire. The latter were excluded in order to minimize bias.
Personal interviews were conducted after obtaining the informed verbal consent of the caretaker. A pre-tested, standardized questionnaire was used to obtain information, such as, the number and ages of children in the household, level of education, sex, age of caretaker, whether someone in the household had passed A. lumbricoides, knowledge of how one acquires Ascaris, whether the household had a latrine, where the respondent and the children in the household defecated, whether the respondent and the children in the household used the latrine regularly, why not (if applicable), whether children in the household had had diarrhea recently, and how the respondent thought children acquired "worms". A preserved specimen of A. lumbricoides was used for demonstration purposes. A total of 62 caretakers, 14 from El Chaguite, 14 from El Chaguite-Belen, 18 from El Llano and 16 from Santa Ines, were interviewed.
Collection and analysis of fecal specimens - Following the questionnaire, specimen cups labeled with name, age, and gender were given to each individual in the household who wanted to participate in the study. The next morning the specimens were retrieved and taken to a laboratory at the EAP for analysis. Only one specimen was submitted per individual. A total of 240 specimens were collected from the four sites; 66 from El Chaguite, 44 from El Chaguite-Belen, 74 from El Llano, and 56 from Santa Ines. The Kato-Katz thick smear standardized to deliver 41.7 mg of strained stool was used to diagnose A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections and estimate their intensity through egg counts (Kaminsky 1996b). Individuals were categorized as having light, moderate or heavy infections based on criteria set by WHO (1987). For A. lumbricoides an egg count of 0-4,999 eggs per gram (epg) of feces is regarded as a light infection and 5,000-50,000 epg, and >50,000 epg as moderate and heavy infections respectively. In T. trichiura infection the presence of 0-999 epg is regarded as a light infection, between 1,000-10,000 epg as a moderate infection and >10,000 epg as a heavy infection (WHO 1987).
Data analyses - Epi Info Version 6.0 software (CDC, Atlanta, GA) and SAS software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC) were used to analyze frequency, prevalence, intensity and associations. Socio-demographic variables were categorized into two or three groups. The chi-square or Fisher's exact test was calculated using the SAS software to assess the univariate association of the variables with the presence of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura in each household. A multiple logistic regression model, using the SAS software, was employed to determine variables significantly associated with Ascaris infection. Only variables that were significantly associated with A. lumbricoides from the univariate model were included in the multiple logistic regression model. A stepwise selection method was employed to determine the variables significantly associated with A. lumbricoides infection. The fit of the final logistic regression model was assessed using the log likelihood ratio test and Akaike information criterion (AIC). Odds ratios and the corresponding standard errors were calculated using the variables significantly associated with A. lumbricoides infection. A similar analytical approach was performed to determine those variables significantly associated with T. trichiura infection.
Description of the study population - The mean age of respondents to the questionnaire was 39.4 years [standard deviation (SD)=16.3, median age=35.5 years] and more than 95% of respondents were females. The age of the 240 subjects sampled ranged from 2 to 84 years with a mean age of 20.6 years (SD=19.3, median age=11.0). Fifty-three percent of those sampled were female and 47% male. Seventy-one percent of respondents had some formal education; the majority (51.6%) had some primary education (completed 1-6 years) and 19.4% had some years of secondary education (completed 7-12 years).
Prevalence and intensity of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura - The overall prevalence of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura in these four communities was 45% (95% CI 39.0-51.9) and 38% (95% CI 31.8-44.4), respectively (Table I). Over a quarter (25.8%) of the 240 stool specimens examined had double infection of both A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura. Table I shows the differences in prevalence and intensity of Ascaris and Trichuris infection by age group and community. Overall, infections of Ascaris were mostly moderate and light, except in El Chaguite where there were heavy infections. There were primarily light infections of T. trichiura, except again in El Chaguite where moderate infections were observed. There were no heavy infections of T. trichiura.
El Llano had the lowest prevalence overall of both A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura and the least number of T. trichiura infections across all age groups. Twenty-two percent of the population surveyed in this community was infected with Ascaris and 11% were infected with Trichuris. Most infections, including one case of heavy infection and two cases of moderate infection with Ascaris, were found in children 2-4 years old and 5-12 years old. However, there were no infections of Trichuris in the 2-4 age group.
El Chaguite was the community with the highest prevalence of Ascaris and Trichuris; 82% of those surveyed had infections of Ascaris and 71% had infections of Trichuris. El Chaguite had much higher rates of infection in all age groups with A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura. Most infections of T. trichiura occurred in those 5-12 years old followed by individuals >12 years old.
The prevalence of Ascaris in Santa Ines and El Chaguite-Belen was 29% and 52%, respectively. The prevalence of Trichuris in each of these communities was 30% and 43%, respectively. In Santa Ines, individuals aged 2-4, had the highest frequency (40%) of moderate Ascaris infection, while those aged 5-12 and >12 had substantial frequencies (close to 30%) of both moderate and light infections. Individuals aged 5-12 years had the highest frequency (48%) of light infections of T. trichiura. Twenty percent of those >12 years old had light infections of Trichuris. In El Chaguite-Belen the highest frequency of infection (moderate and light) of Ascaris and Trichuris occurred in those aged 5-12, followed by those aged >12. There was only one infection of Ascaris or Trichuris in children aged 2-4 in this community (Table I).
Fig. 2 shows the overall intensity of A. lumbricoides infections in all the communities. Children aged 2-4 had the heaviest infections while children aged 5 to 12 were most frequently infected with moderate and light infections compared to other age groups. Overall, there were more intense infections (heavy and/or moderate) of Ascaris than Trichuris in all age groups. Fig. 3 shows the overall intensity of T. trichiura infections in all the communities. Children aged 5 to 12 more frequently had moderate and light infections of Trichuris compared to other age groups. There were more light infections of Trichuris in children aged 5 to 12 than there were light infections of Ascaris in the same age group. Also, individuals >12 years were more frequently infected with light infections of Trichuris than they were with light infections of Ascaris.
Socio-demographic characteristics of household by infections of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura - Univariate analysis was used to examine relationships between socio-demographic variables reported for the households and infections of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura. Infections of A. lumbricoides by household associated with infections of T. trichiura and vice versa (p=0.001) (Tables II, III).
The four communities differed markedly from each other with respect to the prevalence of infections by both parasites, but only A. lumbricoides infection was significantly associated with infection by location of the household (p=0.03) (Table II). A higher percentage of households located in El Chaguite or El Chaguite-Belen, had members infected with A. lumbricoides than households in El Llano or Santa Ines. There were significant differences in prevalence between communities. When El Chaguite was compared univariately with the other three communities, in every instance, living in El Chaguite was significantly associated (p<0.01) with infections of A. lumbricoides or T. trichiura.
There was an association between the number of children 2 to 5 years old and the number of children 6-14 years old living in a household, and infection by A. lumbricoides in members of the household (p=0.001, p=0.001, respectively) (Table II). Households with children in these age groups had a greater frequency of Ascaris infection compared to households with no children in these age groups (Table II). Similarly, the number of children 6-14 years old in the household was also associated with infections of T. trichiura (p=0.01) (Table III). Households with children in this age group had a greater frequency of Trichuris infections than those households with no children in the age group.
Education was associated with A. lumbricoides infection within households (p=0.01) (Table II). A lower proportion (25%) of family members was infected with A. lumbricoides in households where the respondent had a secondary education than in households where the respondent had no formal education (66.7%).
Gender was examined as a possible variable associated with parasitoses. Approximately 45% of males and 45% of females of all ages surveyed were infected with A. lumbricoides. Approximately 41% of males and 35% of females of all ages were positive for infections with T. trichiura. There was no significant difference with respect to gender regarding infection with either Ascaris (p=0.97) or Trichuris (p=0.35) in the population surveyed. Also, there was no significant difference between gender with reference to intensity for Ascaris (p=0.64) or Trichuris (p=0.20) infections.
Associations between sanitary practices and infections of Ascaris or Trichuris by household was also examined. In this respect, certain variables such as lack of a latrine (p=0.04, p=0.03) (Tables II, III), respondents defecating in a site other than the latrine (p=0.01, p=0.04) (Tables II, III), children defecating in a site other than the latrine (p=0.02) (Table II), and children with a recent history of diarrrhea (p=0.002) (Table II) were associated with infections of either A. lumbricoides or T. trichiura respectively. In each case, households that did not own a latrine, or households where respondents and children did not always use the latrine for defecation, or where children were reported with diarrhea, had a higher percentage of members with infections of either helminth.
The most common reason given by respondents who did not always use the latrine for defecation, was that the family did not own one (31.6%). Other common reasons given were that the latrine was broken (26.3%) or that it was too far (21.1%). Twenty-one percent of respondents had reasons other than those given above. The most common reasons given by respondents for children not always using the latrine was that the children did not know how to use it because they were too young (30%), that the latrine was too far (20%), and that the household did not own one (20%). Another 16.7% said that the latrine was broken, and 13.3% indicated other reasons.
Although most individuals (73.7%) did not know how someone could become infected with Ascaris, when specifically asked and shown the preserved specimen of Ascaris, 34.4% recalled that someone in the household had passed a worm at some time. The answers respondents gave to the question of how children became infected with worms in general varied, but most (40.3%) thought that "dirty hands or filth" was the cause. However, over a third of respondents (33.9%) did not know how children acquired worms. The remainder (25.9%) thought that water, candy, milk, eating bad food, etc. caused worms in children.
Multivariate analysis of variables associated with infections of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura - Multivariate analysis was performed on all the variables with p-value of 0.05 or less by univariate analysis for both A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura, in order to eliminate confounding variables. Multivariate analysis identified the following variables as those statistically associated with infections of A. lumbricoides: number of children aged 2-5 or 6-14 living in the household (p=0.01 and p=0.04, respectively), report of recent history of diarrhea in children in the household (p=0.01) and members of the household coinfected with T. trichiura (p=0.02). The only variable that was associated with T. trichiura infection was the number of children 6 to 14 years old living in the household (p=0.01) (Table IV).
A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura are highly prevalent in the communities studied in Honduras and the levels of infection are indicative of major problems in basic hygiene and sanitation. This survey found that children aged 5 to 12 years had a higher percentage of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections than individuals in the other age groups. Children aged 2 to 12 years more frequently had infections of greater intensity than individuals older than 12. Surveys completed in communities in other countries have shown that the prevalence of Ascaris drops in people older than 15 years (Bundy et al. 1987, Reinthaler et al. 1988, Hasegawa et al. 1992, Upatham et al.1992, Mangali et al. 1994). However, the prevalence of Trichuris does not drop off in adulthood (Bundy et al. 1987). In this study almost 25% of individuals >12 years had light infections of Trichuris. Other studies have shown peak intensity of Trichuris infection in individuals aged 10 to 29 (Anderson et al.1993) indicating that Trichuris may be a more chronic infection than Ascaris.
In this survey, individuals with the heaviest infections were concentrated in certain communities and in certain households in these communities. Often a minority of a population will produce large amounts of eggs indicating heavy infection, while the majority will have light infection and produce very few eggs (Palmer & Bundy 1995). There is also a familial aggregation and predisposition to Ascaris and Trichuris infections (Chan et al. 1994a), which does not appear to be genetically determined but may be more strongly determined by environmental and behavioral factors (Chan et al. 1994b).
Over a quarter of this population was co-infected and the association of double infection was significant. Other studies have found that there is a positive association between A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections (Udonsi et al. 1996). Kightlinger et al. (1995) and Needham et al. (1998) have found a dual species intensity correlation for A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura infections; high intensity infections of A. lumbricoides were associated with high intensity infections of T. trichiura. The reasons for this are unclear, but it may be explained by the similar route of infection, the fecal-oral, for both parasites.
Gender did not influence the likelihood of infection with either parasite in this population. Magambo et al. (1998) found that the infection rate of several intestinal pathogens including Trichuris was higher in males compared to females in Sudan, however, it was not reported if this difference was statistically significant. An epidemiological study from Madagascar found that girls had a significantly higher prevalence and intensity of ascariasis (Kightlinger et al. 1995) while another study from Guatemala did not find any gender differences with respect to parasitoses (Anderson et al. 1993). These results may indicate that gender may or may not play a role in parasitoses, depending on the region and other environmental or behavioral factors.
In places where sanitation is extremely poor, and a high prevalence of helminthic infection is suspected, a questionnaire can become an important tool because it may help to highlight certain practices or beliefs that are associated with parasite transmission. We compared questionnaire data with laboratory data. The relatively small sample of 62 households to which the questionnaires were administered is a limitation to the study. Many variables that were significant by univariate analysis did not sustain their significance after adjusting for other covariates in the multivariate analysis. In the univariate analysis, we evaluated the association of multiple covariates with A. lumbricoides and T. trichuria. We are aware that the multiple testing of these covariates can inflate the overall significance level. However, some of the significant associations which were observed by univariate analysis, have also been observed in other parasite studies conducted in other countries and deserve mentioning.
For example, we observed an association between the level of education of the respondent and the percent of household with members infected with A. lumbricoides. Some studies have noted that infection with A. lumbricoides occurs more frequently in the children of mothers with the least formal education (Holland et al. 1988, Tshikuka et al. 1995). We also found an association between latrine ownership and defecation site with helminth infection. Improper disposal of human waste has been associated with infections of intestinal helminths in other countries (Mahfouz et al. 1997). Studies have shown that children living in homes without latrines have a higher prevalence of Ascaris and Trichuris, than those living in homes with latrines, and the introduction of pit latrines can help lower the prevalence of diarrheal diseases (Hoque et al.1996, Pegelow et al. 1997).
The community in which the households were located was associated with infection by A. lumbricoides but not T. trichiura. Although we are not certain of the reason for this association, we observed that many homes in El Llano and Santa Ines had piped water in the front yards, unlike the homes in El Chaguite and El Chaguite-Belen where the most and heaviest infections were observed. In the latter two communities household members frequently had to walk long distances to get water. Although we did not compile information regarding the availability of water in these communities, government documents indicate that 32% of the households in the municipality of San Antonio de Oriente and 49% of households in the municipality of Maraita lack potable water (Secretaria de Gobernacion y Justicia de Honduras 1995). The availability of water may influence a household's sanitation level in general (VanDerslice & Briscoe 1995, Esrey 1996, Hoque et al. 1996, Semenza et al. 1998).
Varying levels of sanitation may have also influenced the prevalence of infection by community. An intestinal helminth study done in the Brazilian Amazon found that differences in prevalence between the districts surveyed may have been due to the degree of hygienic practices in each area. Some people used the latrine more than others (Eve et al. 1998).
Multivariate analysis was performed in order to control for possible confounding effects of other study variables. The association between the number of children aged 2-5 years or 6-14 years living in the household and parasite infection may have occurred because children less than 15 years old constitute the age group that is most frequently infected by Ascaris and Trichuris (Bundy et al. 1987, Reinthaler et al. 1988, Hasegawa et al. 1992, Upatham et al. 1992, Mangali et al. 1994). The association of A. lumbricoides with diarrhea could be due to general uncleanliness within the household, or other confounders not controlled for, since diarrhea is not normally associated with Ascaris infection (Genta 1993). That is, the conditions that allow A. lumbricoides to thrive, are also ideal for the existence of other enteric pathogens that cause diarrhea. In this study we did not look for protozoan or other enteric pathogens, nor was there a clinical definition given for "diarrhea".
As a part of this study, we asked respondents questions about their sanitary practices and the reasons behind those practices. In so doing we hoped to shed some light on reasons for poor sanitation in these communities. We also asked questions regarding knowledge of parasites in general, using A. lumbricoides as a model, because it is an easy helminth to demonstrate and was widely recognized in this population. We found that most people knew of someone in the household who had passed an Ascaris worm before, but that the majority did not know the etiology of the infection. This may indicate that although specific knowledge of how the worm was transmitted was low, awareness of Ascaris in the community was quite high, and parasite transmission may be an area where an educational intervention might have an impact.
Many individuals did have a response ready when asked how children acquired parasites, and the most common answer was that dirty hands or filth was responsible for "worms", where "worms" meant Ascaris. In a study from Bangladesh, women were asked a similar question and approximately 28% of respondents answered that "unclean hands" was the cause. A variety of other answers related to cleanliness were also given. A more common answer in Bangladesh (37%) was that sweets gave children worms (Rousham 1994). A similar study from Nepal showed that 38.46% of respondents knew that soil was involved with transmission, but 21.15% attributed worms to the consumption of sweets (Williams-Blangero et al. 1998). In this study, only 9.7% of respondents cited candy among other things as being the source of infection.
The results of this study indicate that there are certain factors observed in helminth transmission, which are common to developing countries in the tropics, such as, general contamination of the living environment and larger numbers of young children living in households. Hence, knowledge of these factors may help reduce costs of studies for policy formulation, and facilitate implementation of public health interventions designed to reduce the incidence of helminth infections in developing countries with similar environmental conditions and sanitary practices. Community-based mass chemotherapy on a regular basis can meet short-term objectives of intestinal helminth reduction, and is the most cost-effective method (Mascle-Taylor et al. 1999). Health promotion education, the adoption of hygienic practices, and school-based deworming programs can have long-term benefits and have proven effective in other countries (Holland et al. 1996, Stolzfus et al. 1997, Mascle-Taylor et al. 1999).
To Eduardo Aguilar and Suyapa Meyer for all their help at the Escuela Agricola Panamericana. To the staff and students of the Project UNIR, and Dr Luis Castellanos at the Pan American Health Organization for his suggestions. To Dr Ed Cupp, Dr Richard and Ms Marie Hudspeth, Dr Curtis Jolly, Dr Jerold Theis and Dr Heidi Weiss for reviewing the manuscript. To the people of El Llano, El Chaguite, Santa Ines, and El Chaguite-Belen for their cooperation in this survey.
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- Holland CV, Taren DL, Crompton DWT, Nesheim MC, Sanjur D, Barbeau I, Tucker K, Tiffany J, Rivera G 1988. Intestinal helminthiases in relation to the socio-economic environment of Panamanian children. Soc Sci Med 26: 209-213. [ Links ]
- Hoque BA, Juncker T, Sack RB, Ali M, Aziz KMA 1996. Sustainability of a water, sanitation and hygiene education project in rural Bangladesh. Bull WHO 74: 431-437. [ Links ]
- Ighogboja IS, Ikeh EI 1997. Parasitic agents in childhood diarrhoea and malnutrition. West Afr J Med 16: 36-39. [ Links ]
- Kaminsky R 1996a. El Parasitismo en Honduras, Serie de diagnosticos No.14: PAHO, WHO, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, Honduras. [ Links ]
- Kaminsky R 1996b. Manual de Parasitologia. Tecnicas para Laboratorios de Atencion Primaria de Salud, Organizacion Panamericana de la Salud, Honduras. [ Links ]
- Kightlinger LK, Seed JR, Kightlinger MB 1995. Ascaris lumbricoides intensity in relation to environmental, socioeconomic, and behavioral determinants of exposure to infection in children from southeast Madagascar. J Parasitol 81: 480-484. [ Links ]
- Magambo JK, Zeyhle E, Wachira TM 1998. Prevalence of intestinal parasites among children in Southern Sudan. East Afr Med J 75: 288-290. [ Links ]
- Mahfouz AAR, El-Morshedy H, Farghaly A, Khalil A 1997. Ecological determinants of intestinal parasitic infections among pre-school children in an urban squatter settlement of Egypt. J Trop Pediatr 43: 341-344. [ Links ]
- Mangali A, Sasabone P, Abadi K, Hasegawa H, Toma T, Kamimura K, Hasan M, Miyagi I, Mogi M 1994. Prevalence of intestinal helminthic infections in Kao District, North Halmahera, Indonesia. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 25: 737-744. [ Links ]
- Mascle-Taylor CG, Alam M, Montanari RM, Karim R, Ahmed T, Karim E, Akhtar S 1999. A study of the cost-effectiveness of selective health interventions for the control of intestinal parasites in rural Bangladesh. J Parasitol 85: 6-11. [ Links ]
- Needham C, Hoang TK, Nguyen VH, Cong LD, Michael E, Drake L, Hall A, Bundy DAP 1998. Epidemiology of soil-transmitted nematode infections in Ha Nam Province, Vietnam. Trop Med Int Health 3: 904-912. [ Links ]
- Nokes C, Grantham-McGregor SM, Sawyer AW, Cooper ES, Bundy DAP 1992a. Parasitic helminth infection and cognitive function in school children. Proc R Soc Lond Biol Sci 247: 77-81. [ Links ]
- Nokes C, Grantham-McGregor SM, Sawyer AW, Cooper ES, Robinson BA, Bundy DA 1992b. Moderate to heavy infections of T. trichiura affect cognitive function in Jamaican school children. Parasitology 104: 539-547. [ Links ]
- Oberhelman RA, Guerrero ES, Fernandez ML, Silio M, Mercado D, Comiskey N, Ihenacho G, Mera R 1998. Correlations between intestinal parasitosis, physical growth, and psychomotor development among infants and children from rural Nicaragua. Am J Trop Med Hyg 58: 470-475. [ Links ]
- Palmer DR, Bundy DA 1995. Epidemiology of human hookworm and Ascaris lumbricoides infestations in rural Gambia. East Afr Med J 72: 527-530. [ Links ]
- Pegelow K, Gross R, Pietrzik K, Lukito W, Richards AL, Fryauff DJ 1997. Parasitological and nutritional situation of school children in the Sukaraja district, West Java, Indonesia. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 28: 173-190. [ Links ]
- Rajeswari B, Sinniah B, Hussein H 1994. Socio-economic factors associated with intestinal parasites among children living in Gombak, Malaysia. Asia Pac J Public Health 7: 21-25. [ Links ]
- Reinthaler FF, Linck G, Klem G, Mascher F, Sixl W 1988. Intestinal parasites in children with diarrhea in El Salvador. Geo Med 18: 175-180. [ Links ]
- Rousham EK 1994. Perceptions and treatment of intestinal worms in rural Bangladesh: local differences in knowledge and behaviour. Soc Sci Med 39: 1063-1068. [ Links ]
- Saldiva SR, Silveira AS, Philippi ST, Torres DM, Mangini AC, de Souza Dias RM, da Silva RM, Buratini MN, Massad E 1999. Ascaris-Trichuris association and malnutrition in Brazilian children. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 13: 89-98. [ Links ]
- Secretaria de Gobernacion y Justicia de Honduras 1995. Categorizacion Municipal segun Indicadores de Necesidades Basicas Insatisfechas. Pacto por la Infancia, Honduras. [ Links ]
- Semenza JC, Roberts L, Henderson A, Bogan J, Rubin CH 1998. Water distribution system and diarrheal disease transmission: a case study in Uzbekistan. Am J Trop Med Hyg 59: 941-946. [ Links ]
- Simeon DT, Grantham-McGregor SM, Callender JE, Wong MS 1995. Treatment of Trichuris trichiura infections improves growth, spelling scores and school attendance in some children. J Nutr 125: 1875-1883. [ Links ]
- Stephenson LS, Latham MC, Adams EJ, Kinoti SN, Pertet A 1993. Physical fitness, growth and appetite of Kenyan school boys with hookworm, Trichuris trichiura, and Ascaris lumbricoides infections are improved four months after a single dose of albendazole. J Nutr 123: 1036-1046. [ Links ]
- Stephenson LS, Latham MC, Kurz KM, Kinoti SN, Brigham H 1989. Treatment with a single dose of albendazole improves growth of Kenyan schoolchildren with hookworm, Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides infections. Am J Trop Med Hyg 41: 78-87. [ Links ]
- Stoltzfus RJ, Albonico M, Tielsch JM, Chwaya HM, Savioli L 1997. School-based deworming programs yield small improvement in growth of Zanzibari school children after one year. J Nutr 127: 2187-2193 [ Links ]
- Tshikuka JG, Scott ME, Gray-Donald K 1995. Ascaris lumbricoides infection and environmental risk factors in an urban African setting. Ann Trop Med Parasitol 89: 505-514. [ Links ]
- Udonsi JK, Behnke JM, Glibert FS 1996. Analysis of the prevalence of infection and associations between human gastrointestinal nematodes among different ages classes living in urban and suburban communities of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. J Helminthol 70: 74-84. [ Links ]
- Upatham KS, Viyanant V, Brockelman WY, Kurathong S, Ardsungnoen P, Chindaphol U 1992. Predisposition to reinfection by intestinal helminths after chemotherapy in South Thailand. Int J Parasitol 22: 801-806. [ Links ]
- VanDerslice J, Briscoe J 1995. Environmental interventions in developing countries: interactions and their implications. Am J Epidemiol 141: 135-144. [ Links ]
- Williams-Blangero S, Subedi J, Upadhayay RP, Manral DB, Khadka K, Jirel S, Robinson ES, Blangero J 1998. Attitudes towards helminthic infection in the Jirel population of Eastern Nepal. Soc Sci Med 47: 371-379. [ Links ]
- WHO-World Health Organization 1987. Prevention and control of intestinal parasitic infections. WHO Tech Rep 749: 1-86 [ Links ]
- Yasuf M, Hussain AMZ 1990. Sanitation in rural communities in Bangladesh. Bull WHO 68: 619-624. [ Links ]
Fig. 1 | Fig. 2 | Fig. 3 | Table I | Table II | Table III | Table IV
This study was supported by the Sparkman Center for International Public Health Education, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, and the Escuela Agricola Panamericana, Honduras.
+Corresponding author. Fax: 205-975-3329. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Received 31 August 2000
Accepted 4 October 2000


text:
We are pleased to announce that JAG Construction has been selected as the builder for the HGTV Urban Oasis 2015! We have had such an adventure working on this fun and fast-paced project and getting to showcase our skills in the makeover of an old Asheville bungalow.
You can keep up with the progress at HGTV right here.
We'll also continue to update our site about the project.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
March 2007, Part 3
Jim Miller on Politics
Pseudo-Random Thoughts
Worth Reading: (In fact, even worth buying, which I mention because the article isn't free.) Gregg Easterbrook speculates on which areas of the world would lose from global warming, and which areas would gain. Here's his list of the likely big winners:
More specifically, nearly all the added land-value benefits of a warming world might accrue to Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, and Scandinavia.And the US outside Alaska? Would the US gain from global warming, net? Easterbrook goes back and forth on that question, but mentions many possible benefits, longer growing seasons, milder winters, et cetera, though at the end he argues that things are pretty good for us now, so why change? (Any general manager could answer that question; you can't stand still in a competitive world.)
Despite raising the taboo subject of benefits from global warming, Easterbrook never asks the obvious question: Might the benefits outweigh the costs? Could a warmer world be, net, a better world? But he does say this about an earlier warming period.
On the other side of the coin, Europe's Medieval Warm Period, which lasted from around 1000 to 1400, was essential to the rise of Spain, France, and England: Those clement centuries allowed the expansion of farm production, population, cities, and universities, which in turn set the stage for the Industrial Revolution.All of which, most of us would think, were good things.
(As always when I discuss global warming, I urge you to read my disclaimer, if you have not already done so.)
- 3:42 PM, 24 March 2007
More: For examples of how some countries would gain from global warming, see this AP article.
- 5:49 AM, 25 March 2007 [link]
Democrats Have Changed: First, some selections from John F. Kennedy's inaugural:
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.And now the arguments made by Nancy Pelosi as she rounded up votes for the Democrats' defeat-in-Iraq bill.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, used an array of persuasion techniques — some hard, some soft — as she walked through the House chamber on Thursday, seeking out undecided legislators in hopes of securing the 218 votes needed to pass the measure. Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia and a former civil rights leader and chief deputy whip, told Ms. Pelosi this week that he would oppose the bill because of his commitment to nonviolence and his unwillingness to devote more money to the war. "Let's pray about it," he recalled Ms. Pelosi saying. Ultimately, he added, "she respected my decision."I'm not sure I can be as pithy as Kennedy's speech writer, but how about this summary of Pelosi's argument? "And so, my fellow Democrats: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do to cripple the commander in chief in war time." Or perhaps this: "And so, my fellow Democrats: ask not what your country can do for you—ask how you can get a headline that says that you stood up to the president."
And other parts of his inaugural need changes, too. Pelosi might say, if she were honest: "We won't pay any price, or bear any burden, or meet any hardship, or support any friend, or oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty." And perhaps this: "We must tempt them with weakness."
And tempt them with weakness is exactly what that House vote just did. It would be absurd to assume that our terrorist enemies will resist that temptation. Completely absurd.
It may be hard to believe now, but the Democrats were once a great party.
(Incidentally, imagine the commentary if President Bush tried to win a vote by suggesting that a congressman pray with him.)
- 12:55 PM, 24 March 2007 [link]
Does Al Gore Believe That Global Warming Is A Serious Threat? He says he does, but he is unwilling to support one of the most obvious ways to control it, nuclear power.
The Goracle asked the members of Congress in front of him to be brave and adopt policies that may do grievous short-term harm to the economy in exchange for the long-term benefit of curing climate change.Because he doesn't believe his own argument, and is just catering to the environmentalist left, which has a superstitious fear of nuclear power? (That would also explain why Gore hasn't done much to reduce his own energy use.) If there is an explanation that fits better, I don't see it.
There are environmentalists who now support nuclear power out of fear of global warming, for example, James Lovelock — who is on the same side of this issue as President Bush. The contrast between Bush and Gore on this issue is striking. Gore believes, or says he believes, that global warming is an enormous threat, but is not willing to support nuclear power, which would reduce the threat. Bush believes that global warming has not been shown to be an enormous threat, but supports nuclear power, anyway, just in case.
(As always when I discuss global warming, I urge you to read my disclaimer, if you have not already done so.)
- 5:20 AM, 22 March 2007 [link]
Smokers In Seattle: Yesterday, I attended a World Affairs Council fund raising luncheon in Seattle, mostly to listen to the speech by travel writer Rick Steves. The bus schedules gave me a chance to walk around downtown Seattle, where I saw many homeless people — and more smokers in an hour than I usually see, here in a Seattle suburb, in a month.
The homeless that I saw at the same time in downtown Seattle did not surprise me, since Seattle has had policies that encourage people to be homeless for many years. But the smokers did surprise me, because Seattle also has had policies for many years that discourage smoking. So why did I see so many smokers there?
It may have just been a accident of timing; perhaps I was there when many workers take their smoking break. But I don't think that's the entire explanation. Seattle has higher rates of substance abuse than the Seattle suburbs, for almost every illegal or unhealthy substance, and so perhaps we should expect that Seattle would have more than its share of nicotine fiends, too.
(If I have enough time, I will write a post on Steves' curious speech, probably some time next week. But I can say this immediately: As a political thinker, he's a fine travel writer.)
- 7:06 AM, 21 March 2007 [link]
AP Story Or Enemy Propaganda? It can be hard to tell them apart.
- 7:47 AM, 20 March 2007 [link]
Worth Reading: Bjorn Lomborg explains, once again, why the Kyoto Protocol is not a good idea.
This seems to be why we focus on feel-good approaches like the Kyoto Protocol. Yet the agreement's fundamental problem has always been that it is simultaneously impossibly ambitious, environmentally inconsequential, and inordinately expensive. It required such big reductions that only few countries could live up to it.In short, the benefits from Kyoto are far smaller than its costs. Is that idea too complicated? It is for many journalists, who have trouble getting past those "threatened" polar bears to a serious consideration of the issues.
(Incidentally, those polar bears are hunted regularly in much of the Arctic, though a 1973 treaty did put limits on the hunting.
As always when I discuss global warming, I urge you to read my disclaimer, if you have not already done so.)
- 7:02 AM, 20 March 2007 [link]
Are Your Personnel Files Confidential? In most organizations, they are, and there are severe penalties for releasing them to outsiders. That's why I was startled by this line in a New York Times $article about the evaluations of the fired US attorneys.
The reviews, each of them six to 12 pages long, were carried out by Justice department officials between 2003 and 2006. Each report was based on extensive interviews, conducted over several days with judges, other federal law enforcement agencies and staff members in each office.(Emphasis added.)
Now my question: Was the reporter who wrote this article, David Johnston, among the officials "authorized to have them"? Of course not, and some official or officials defied orders, and may have broken the law, in order to give the reviews to him.
If you think that's only what the Bush administration deserves, at least in this controversy, then let me put this question to you: Would you object if an enemy of yours released your confidential personnel files?
Reporters routinely help bureaucrats break laws and undermine their elected superiors. We have become accustomed to seeing journalists act as accomplices to felonies, and undermine democracy, but we should not accept it, however common it may be.
Stories based on anonymous sources, such as this one, almost never give us the whole story. Johnston does not even hint at the motives of his anonymous officials. Most likely, the officials are partisan Democrats, who hope to undermine President Bush. But we really don't know. (We can't even rule out wild possibilities, such as this one, which suggests that a subordinate of Attorney General Gonzalez is leaking this material, in hopes that he will be chosen to replace him.) And so we get these stories where one side in a dispute is hidden from view. We don't know who gave those files to Johnston, much less why.
- 2:06 PM, 19 March 2007 [link]
Should Bush Have Fired Those 8 Prosecutors? Not having seen their personnel files, I don't know. Several, if news accounts can be trusted, were not performing well as prosecutors. Others were not pursuing cases that the administration thought they should have; for example, Carol Lam, in San Diego, was mostly ignoring illegal immigration cases — which is not a popular thing to do in San Diego.
If the news accounts are correct, David Iglesias in New Mexico and John McKay in this area were dismissed because they did not take charges of vote fraud seriously. Here's what the Wall Street Journal has to say about Iglesias's efforts:
In New Mexico, another state in which recent elections have been decided by razor thin margins, U.S. Attorney David Iglesias did establish a voter fraud task force in 2004. But it lasted all of 10 weeks before closing its doors, despite evidence of irregularities by the likes of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or Acorn. As our John Fund reported at the time, Acorn's director Matt Henderson refused to answer questions in court about whether his group had illegally made copies of voter registration cards in the run-up to the 2004 election.Or lack of efforts, to be more accurate. And I have followed New Mexico politics enough so that I can say that, yes, the state does have serious problems with vote fraud.
And here's what Stefan Sharkansky, who is the expert on voting problems here in Washington state, says about John McKay's unwillingness to do a serious investigation:
Let's recap: Two years after Democrat Christine Gregoire "won" the governor's race by 129 votes, the still-climbing tally of known illegal votes caused by negligence (or worse) in the Democrat-controlled King County Elections office is approaching 500. Most of these were counted shortly before certification, when Gregoire appeared to be narrowly losing. King County actively concealed these illegal votes from the public and the contest trial.So I think the Bush administration had legitimate grievances with both men. (And most likely with other fired prosecutors; this Wall Street Journal editorial notes other problems, though it does not identify the prosectors who had them.)
By the way, Iglesias and McKay are not unusual among prosecutors for being unwilling to pursue vote fraud cases. As far as I can tell, most prosecutors prefer to avoid such cases, partly because they know that they will be attacked by the party being investigated. (That explains why prosecutors are marginally more willing to look at vote fraud cases in primaries, where such charges are harder to make.)
Since, as I said, I have not seen the personnel files, I am not certain that the other six deserved to be fired, but I am almost certain that columnist Paul Greenberg is right when he says the whole thing is a "non-scandal". And he is absolutely right to say that these firings do not compare to the wholesale firings of prosecutors at the beginning of the Clinton administration. (They were fired, as everyone knows, to protect the Clintons and Dan Rostenkowski, who was then chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee..)
(Wonder how the "mainstream" treated the Clinton firings? Brent Bozell has the answer: "So in 2007, the firing of a U.S. Attorney is an egregious ethical offense, but in 1993, it was merely a customary transition of administrations." You weren't surprised by that, were you?)
- 11:28 AM, 19 March 2007 [link]
Al Gore Profited from a dirty mine.
Al Gore has profited from zinc mining that has released millions of pounds of potentially toxic substances near his farmstead, but there is no evidence the mine has caused serious damage to the environment in the area or threatened the health of his neighbors.And may profit again, since the mine is being reopened.
That first sentence in the story is a work of art, isn't it? Up to the "but" it says there is a scandal, and then switches to "never mind". And the rest of the story follows that pattern, describing many environmental sins — but assuring us that no harm came from those sins. Which left this reader wondering what the reporter really thinks. Did the mine harm the environment by Greenpeace standards? (Almost all mines do.) Or is this much ado about nothing?
If I had to guess — and this is only a guess — I would say that the mine did do some harm to the environment, but that harm was probably outweighed by the benefits we got from the mine. But that's only a guess.
There is another scandal about that mine unmentioned in the article. Here's how the article describes how Gore got his interest in the mine.
Al Gore Jr.'s involvement in mining can be traced to Sept. 22, 1973.Now the last step of that three step transaction is easy to understand. Gore's father was arranging an investment for his son. But what about those first two steps, buying the land from Occidental and then leasing it back? Don't those seem a little strange to you?
They do to me, and they would seem strange even if I didn't know more about Occidental than appears in this story. First, there's this curious fact: At the time of the deal, Al Gore, Sr. had worked for Occidental for many years, had even been the chairman of a subsidiary of Occidental, Island Creek Coal. Second, when we say Occidental Petroleum, at least during the 1960s and 1970, we really mean Armand Hammer, who was an unusual financier. (And not much like the man described in that Wikipedia biography.) How unusual was not apparent until after his death when Edward Jay Epstein's Dossier was published. Here's s brief summary from Amazon describing what Epstein learned about this deeply corrupt man.
It comes as little surprise that Armand Hammer, the chairman and tyrant of Occidental Petroleum who molded himself into a modern Medici, was a philanderer, a sycophant to American Presidents and Soviet leaders alike, and an avid art collector who cared not a fig for art. The surprises in this absorbing biography by Edward Jay Epstein, with Armand Hammer, come from long-buried sources: that Hammer financed Soviet espionage in the United States, that he forced his long-time mistress to change her appearance and her identity to throw his wife off the track, and that Hammer was neither an astute businessman nor anything near the billionaire he portrayed himself as. Hammer's secret history, and his repellent yet fascinating character, deserve the exhaustive, acerbic treatment Epstein provides.Knowing this about Hammer we have to wonder whether that transaction between Gore's father and Occidental was a disguised bribe — a bribe from a man who had worked with the Soviets almost all his life.
Just so there is no misunderstanding I will add that Al Gore did not have as close a relationship with Armand Hammer as his father did, but he did have a close enough relationship so that, for example, Hammer was his guest at Reagan's 1980 inaugural.
(Hammer, who committed many crimes during his long life, was caught just once by our legal system. He pled guilty to campaign finance violations as part of the Watergate scandal. Embarrassingly, he was pardoned by President George H. W. Bush shortly before his death.)
- 10:43 AM, 18 March 2007 [link]
Was Valerie Plame Covert? Well, apparently she was at some time in her career before her identity was exposed by Aldrich Ames. But was she covert in July, 2003, when Robert Novak wrote his now famous column "exposing" her? Specifically, was she covered by the Intelligence Identities Protection Act?
So far I have not seen an authoritative answer to that question. And I am not alone in being puzzled about that crucial point; so, too, I learned from Tom Maguire, is Valerie Plame. Maguire quotes the key paragraphs from an AP story:
Plame said she wasn't a lawyer and didn't know what her legal status was but said it shouldn't have mattered to the officials who learned her identity.And then follows with this commentary:
She didn't know her legal status? She's so covert that not even she knows if she is legally covert! And we are more than three years into this. Oh, my - well, I don't know her status either. Maybe they call her the wind. (But they call the wind Mariah...)It's possible, I suppose, that Plame was not lying yesterday when she said that she didn't know her legal status in 2003. But the way that she answered the question makes me suspect that she did know that she was not covered by the IIPA in 2003.
(More: John Podhoretz has a hilarious account of her explanation of how the CIA picked Joseph Wilson to go to Niger. "Sweetness and Light" argues that Valerie Plame was "outed" by — Joseph Wilson. There's much fascinating information in the post, for instance, this: "May 3, 2003: Over breakfast, Wilson and Valerie told [New York Times columnist Nicholas] Kristof about his trip to Niger." If your spouse was "covert", would you bring them to a breakfast with a New York Times columnist?)
- 8:06 AM, 17 March 2007 [link]


text:
Lewis Black has built a career on anger. The standup comedian rose to national notoriety through "Back in Black," a recurring segment on Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" where Black unleashed scathing diatribes against politicians, consumerism, "artisan" foods, the news media or whatever else had raised his ire that day. His fan club is even called Lewis Black's Frustrated Union of Cynical Kindreds Universal. (You can figure out the acronym on your own.) But if you ask him about it, anger is not his natural state.
"My natural state is I'm close to taking a nap," he said, laughing. "I'm fairly calm, and I try to enjoy things. But I turn on CNN or look at the front page of the paper in the morning and I start to get crazy."
He admits that he's easily amused. ("Bonerama — I'd like to know what that is," he said, chuckling as he read the poster for a touring brass band.) But his attitude turns on a dime at the mention of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
"We're still two weeks away from them debating," he opined. "Are you kidding me? You go through this cycle, and at the end of the cycle, two people are nominated that nobody likes or trusts. How is that humanly possible?"
Black's latest comedy tour, "The Emperor's New Clothes: The Naked Truth," comes to the Wharton Center Saturday.
"The best piece of political satire, still, is a children's fable written god knows how many years ago," Black explained. "The emperor wasn't wearing any clothes, and everyone said they loved the clothes he was wearing. That's exactly what I think every four years."
While he admits that the presidential election cycle has given him plenty of material to work with, it bothers him at a deeper level.
"It's disturbing," he said. "The one thing we should learn from this election cycle — which we never seem to learn — is that we have to shorten to the election cycle. We spend nearly a year torturing ourselves; this is self-torture. There's nothing gained from this."
Black has harsh words for cable news networks and their parades of talking heads.
"You don't need to comment on what I just saw. I just saw it!" he said. "I know what I saw. I don't need four analysts. I don't need surrogates. You don't need somebody interpreting what you saw."
Black, 68, studied theater at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yale, with hopes of working as a playwright.
"I realized that by the age of 40 I was completely broke," he said. "My idea that I would make a living as a playwright was somewhat delusional."
Black started to find success doing standup comedy at a theater in New York where he worked. His appearances on "The Daily Show," he said, "certainly played a part in the career I have as a stand-up."
"It's huge to be able to work in a place where the people were that smart and that funny," he said. "Look who I got to work with — Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, Jon, Samantha Bee, her husband Jason (Jones), plus the people behind the scenes. The list is endless."
"Back in Black" opened up greater opportunities for comedy tours, as well as TV and film roles.
"I loved theater," Black said. "I still love it, but I don't know if I want to work in it again. I no doubt will write another play, though."
While he still performs at a few of his favorite comedy clubs, Black prefers the atmosphere of larger theaters.
"I've always been someone who writes my material on stage, and in some ways, it's easier to do that in a theater," he explained. "The quality of the silence is different than a club where they're serving drinks, and people are ordering food, and there's a certain amount of noise. In the theater you get that complete silence that allows you to think more clearly."
Lewis Black 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17. Tickets start at $39.50/$25 students. Wharton Center, 750 E. Shaw Lane, East Lansing. (517) 432-2000, whartoncenter.com


text:
Farmers' Champion (Elgin, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 14, Ed. 1, Thursday, January 23, 1913 Page: 1 of 8
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Oklahoma Digital Newspaper Program and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
Extracted Text
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Key EK Movable roosta.
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CC Adjustable door. -IUI Feed aud wator.
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a comfortable and convenient poultry
liouso to accommodate about one hun-
dred fowls. The nioro Important fea-
tures arc tho movnblu roosts which
are more sanitary and more easily
cleaned than the old-stylo roosts with
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tilators feeding ant watering rack
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nesting system by which noat ca-
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comes. Tho slides or curtains AA aro
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tho Panhandle of Texas anil Eastern
Now Mexico.
Tho U. S. Department of Agrlcul
turo reports the average yield for flvo
yenrs at Amnrlllo Texas and other
dry land experiment stations nt forty
bushels of grain per aero a year
runners In the samo sections report
yields of thirty to eighty bushels an
A bushel of mllo will produce from
4 Plant Some Okra
If you hnveu't planted okra yot
4 put in it fow hills now. It Is at
Its best when other fresh vogo-
tables aro about gouu In tho fall.
Some persons may not enjoy tho 4
flavor of okra at first but after
eating It a fow times a tasto for
It is acquired. Tho young tender
! pods niUHt be used and keep 4
them well picked In ordor that 4
the plants may not become ox-
haunted by the maturing of tho $
seed and the pndB will continue
4 to bo produced until lata In the
4- fall.
Okra boiled until tender In a
4 small amount of wntcr and 4
4 dressed with n generous nllow-
4 anco of butter and seasoned with
palt and peppor Is very good. 4"
Many liko vinegar served with It.
Tho cold boiled okra dressed 4
' with vinegar salt and popper
! makes n delightful cooling sum- 4
V mor salad.
4 4444.44444
Overdoing It.
Soma pooplo think so earnestly of
the rainy dny that they never soo the
lun. shine.
We can forgive any man-hls preju-
dicesprovided they ' don't conflict
with ourn. Lit"- . .
xtUn a n.
.rt ft tidy
ft ttr sttfinj Am -
ill Ulns.
way. A nest Is still left for the laying
hens as Indicated on section plan.
The alloy affords room for Incubators
and brooderB where tho feed bins are
conveniently located near tho wator
troughs writes Ilonton Stculu In tho
Farmers' Mall and nroezo. Scratch-
ing room Is provided with dust bath
and grit or feed trough as Indicated.
Tho bouse should fc to tho seuth
and havo nn abundanco of light and
ventilation. All Is arranged so that
no obstructions nro In tho way of
speedy denning and complicated cor-
ners for trnsh aro dlsponEed with. All
partitions should bo of wire tho floor
of cement and the walla lathed and
Startling Statement-Made by Dr. WldV
koe In Paper Prepared for Dry
Farm Congrats.
A plant trowing on a rich soli can
make twice as much growth with a
given nmount of wator as a plant grow-
ing on a poor soil. That was tho
startling ntntoment mado by Dr.
Wldtsoo of Utah In a paper prepared
for tho Dry Farming congross. Ho
cited an experiment. Corn required 008
pounds of wator to produce ono pound
dry mattor; when tho same field was
manured It required but 012 pounds
In other words tho field when ma-
nured could produce a third more. He
secured similar results by cultivation.
Stirring tho soil enervated plant food
it Beems to bo a good deal like the
reeults that might bo expected from
feeding a man thin or thick soup.
These facts aro Important to tho dry
farmer; but alBO to the humid region
farmer aud to the Irrigator
When you buy your Incubator buy
two hroodors and If you can three
of them.
Tho early maturing pullet makes
the best ben to breed an egg laying
strain from.
Whon ducks nro raised fur breed-
ers It Is a practice to set ducks upon
tholr own eggs.
Fine grit t ml charcoal aro mighty
good to havo around easy of access
for tho chickens.
Tho ventilation of the roosting
quarters should come from the scratch-
ing shod it possible.
Sell all the old scrub fowls and put
the mouoy Into puro bred roosters-
no matter If you da have to pay froin
1C to $2.5.
To Induce' Sleep '
Sleeplessness Is the greatest men-
aco tbat tlrod or overwrought norves
havo for beauty and health. Sleop
may bo Induced by warm milk sipped
slowly or If this Is"1 Ineffective by
long drafts of cool water and a cold
bandage ti round the-brow
Careful Selection of Wood aae!
PronorvnUvo Treatment Savn
Time nnd Money Aver I
so cost ana Lire.
(By JOHN a. flCltAKFrctt)
It has boon ontlmatcd by the U. S.'
department of agriculture) that the
fnrmcrs of tho single stute of Iowa
use every year 11400000 worth of new
fence posts which cost the equivalent
of $600000 foi setting them In Ida
ground. Without doubt n part ot this1
expendlturo might bo saved.
The opportunity for economy la
found first. In using the kinds ot posts
which taking into account both cost
and durability aro cheapest In the
long run and secondly by treating
tho posts to prevent decay. When a
fanner sots n post which will" have eV
comparatively short life he loses not
only thiouglUiavlng to buy a new post
but also because of tho additional la-
bor Involved In setting It. It Is true-'
that In both cases no money outlay
mny bo Involved for ho may sot the
posts himself after getting them from
bis own wood 1 t. Of the posts used
last year In Iown 70 per cent. It Is es-
timated wcro grown on the farm
whore (hoy wero used or were ob.
tallied from other farmers or wood lot
owiuT8 and only 30 per cent. werW
bought from lum'tor dealors Never-
thclcsa tho farmer Is out his labor
and tho part of tho product of hie
wood lot which Is used up even though
ho does not pay out any cash.
Tho averago life ot a fence post lit
stated to bo fourteon years aud th
average cost 13.7 cents. There ? how-
ever greater difference In the lasting
properties of different woods. ObRgni
nnineo lasts moro than (Ke tlises as
long as willow and for length ot ser-
vice It heads the list of post timbers
In the state. The comparative. 11X9
of othor posts Is shown In the ftntdw '
Ing list ranging from tho lenestjl
period to tho shortest: Red cedari IcA ' '"
oust white oak northern white cedan
(or arborvitae) cataipa blaok walnut
butternut rod oak and willow.
The nveruge cost of posts varies)
for different woods and for tho samsi
woods in different localities. Red cedai;
Is tnoBt exponslve at an avorage of
26 cents each and willow tho cheap
est at six cents.
Taklug Into consideration the time a
post will last and tbo cost ot buying
It and sotting It In tho ground the
conclusion must bo drawn tbat the
osage orange post Is tho most econom-
ical In Iowa followod by white oak.
locust catnlpa rod eedar black wal-
nut butternut willow whlto codar and
rod onk In tbo order named. v
Comparatively fow posts of gome of
thoso woods nro used. Cataipa and
butternut together do not constitute
one por cent. while whlto oak oxcoeds-
fnrty per cent. From white onk the
highest tho numbers used rango down
in tho following ordor: White cedar
osage orango red cedar willow black
walnut locust butternut and cataipa
A few posts are cut from other woods.
Preservative treatment Increases the
llfo of all wooden posts and more than
doubles the period of usefulness of
thoso which nto mostly sapwood. The
12000000 spent yarly by Iowa farmore'
In buying and sotting fence posts?
might bo materially lessened by put-
ting Into practlco the well-known meth-
ods of wood preservation. It costs'
much less to treat a post than to buy'
a now one and sot It In the ground;
and In addition much wood could be'
saved for other purposes. The depart-
ment of agriculture has made a special"
study of practical methods ot preserv-'
Ing farm timbers s6 tbat It Is ablo to
Inform Interested Inquirers how to dc
this for themselves.
May Teach Monkeys to Talk.
Tho monkey la not only more In-
telligent than the parrot but Is even'
ntoro Imitative. It Is (excepting man)
tho only creature On earth that Is
capable of artlculuie speech. Prof.
Doll believes that npbs can be taught
at nil ovents to say a few words
at first by manipulation of their
mouths and throats ob Is done with
the deaf born. We may Itvo hu thinks
to hear chimpanzees talk and with
some degree ot understanding of their'
own remarks.
Strange lut True.
" 'Tis a strunge thing whin ye como
to thluk Iv It that th' lees money ' a.
man gits f'r bis wurruk the more nloa
6'ry It Is to th' wurruld Unit ho'ahuOJ
go on wurrkin'." "Mr. Doolty Mfty."
- "
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Soule, J. S. Farmers' Champion (Elgin, Okla.), Vol. 3, No. 14, Ed. 1, Thursday, January 23, 1913, newspaper, January 23, 1913; Elgin, Oklahoma. (gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc69486/m1/1/: accessed October 23, 2018), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.


text:
May 16th, 2012 → 10:27 am @ Ari Kaplan
I had the chance to participate in the Law Firm Marketing Masters series and on a recent visit to New York City, I met with its creator, Dan Toombs, the founder of Grow Your Firm, an Australian web marketing company that assists professional services firms with enhancing their digital presence. We discussed the state of the Australian market and the benefits of leveraging Vizibility, among other topics. Watch our interview below:
ari kaplan &australia &Blog &content generation &dan toombs &digital marketing &ghostwriter &ghostwriting &global &law firm &law firm associations &law practice management &law-related &lawyers &legal industry &legal management &legal practice &leveraging technology &litigation &Profile &reinventing professional services &Reinvention &small law firms &solo practice &web design &writing


text:
WWII films are always in fashion in Hollywood, from "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan" to the Spike Lee-directed "Miracle at St. Anna." "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill" creator Quentin Tarantino's latest film "Inglourious Basterds" follows along this theme.
In the movie, a group of morally-offensive American soldiers are shipped off to a military prison for various crimes and become commandos with the mission to assassinate Nazis. You can count on lots of cartoon-styled violence. In true Tarantino style, a series of carnal film posters are ready to catch your attention for its August 21, 2009 release.
Carnal Film Advertising
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Nazi-Inspired Designers Blitz Runways
Offensive LEGO Figures
Nazi-Obsessed Hollywood
80s Subculture-Inspired Apparel
Top 100 Drinking Trends in October
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text:
Friend's Email:
Subject: I have found a CD that I think you would enjoy
|Sweet Baby
It's a Girl
Genres: Alternative Rock, Pop, Rock, Metal
Larger Image
Listen to Samples
CD Details
CD Reviews
The ultimate pop punk music!
James Dumont | Milford, NH United States | 03/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I heard a copy of this album 10 years ago, and made a cassette copy from another cassette copy, so the sound quality sucked, but I didn't care. I played it over and over. Since I didn't know the name of the band, I never could find a quality tape or cd until I found out the bands' name and ordered a cd on this site. The melding of Beatlesque vocals and melodies with Ramones on crank music is genius! It's retro but new wave at the same time! What a shame these guys didn't record anymore material, or achieve any commercial success. I don't like most punk related music anymore, but I still listen to this album. If you like fun punk then check this out."
+ about 20 extra stars... This is the best!!
Joe Sixpack -- Slipcue.com | ...in Middle America | 03/10/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is probably the single best "pop punk" album to have come out of the East Bay scene that spawned Green Day, Rancid and The Mr. T Experience. It's just plain awesome, high-octane, tounge-in-cheek, Beatles-ed out FUN.Sweet Baby (originally "Sweet Baby Jesus", but they changed the band's name when the album cameout because they didn't want to offend their religiously-minded family members... or so the story goes...) were signed to Slash Records in 1988, and put this album out, went on tour seeking the big time for about a half minute, before the label pulled the plug (and soon afterwards, went under...) But when they were gigging around Berkeley, Oakland and Northern California, they set the tone (along with their friends, MTX) for the pop-punk sound that Green Day later took to the top of the charts. I think even Billy Joe and his pals will still readily admit that Sweet Baby were the tops. If you like super-fun, funny, ultramelodic and irresistibly rockin' pop tunes, then you owe it to yourself and your community to buy this record and play it as loud as you can. Don't be embarrassed to sing along, too... I never am!"
What happened??
Brian P. Lowe | Myrtle Beach, SC | 01/14/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was a manager at a local CD store when this LP was released, and it wasn't even available as a CD until 1993. But, our store played it continuously, and we had plenty of people interested + we always sold out of the LP. But, due to the fact it wasn't promoted, and the fact we received 2-3 units at a time, this isn't big news. Anyhow, it's a great Punk-Pop CD, with agression, melody, + attitude. Plus, it has aged extremely well. I would LOVE a reunion album, But I guess that's not happening."


text:
Human hand bones, artwork
F007/5010 Royalty Free
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Keywords: adult, anatomical, anatomy, artwork, biological, biology, black background, bone, carpal, detail, finger, healthy, human anatomy, human arm, human body, human body part, human hand, human likeness, human representation, human skeleton, humerus, illustration, joint, ligament, limb, low angle view, metacarpal, normal, palm, phalanx, radius, scapula, shoulder blade, three quarter view, ulna
Licence fees: A licence fee will be charged for any media (low or high resolution) used in your project.


text:
A renowned trial lawyer and advocacy teacher brought his self-described "contrarian" cross examination techniques to the Law Center in an entertaining, and occasionally earthy, presentation that filled a lecture hall with students and practicing lawyers. Terence F. MacCarthy, widely recognized as the nation's leading speaker on the subject, delivered on his threefold promise that attendees would "have a little bit of fun, a lot of laughs and learn a lot."
Sitting on a stool befitting a raconteur, MacCarthy said the ABA Journal once termed his "Look Good" cross examination method "contrarian," a big word that he looked up and found meant "different." He agreed – it IS different. But it works, he said, and it has been honed during his 42 years as executive director of the Chicago office of the Federal Defender Program in the Northern District of Illinois. "Cross examination is not an art," he said. "It's a science." And, during the next four hours of a CLE presentation hosted by the Blakely Advocacy Institute, he detailed the practical tips and truisms of his discipline.
MacCarthy, now defender emeritus, said cross examination is the most difficult part of a trial for three reasons:
MacCarthy dismissed any tendency toward "legalese," advising the audience that it's best to speak in a courtroom like you would in a bar. He immediately corrected himself. "I mean, a nice bar, with carpeting on the floor," he said, as laughter rolled through the room.
MacCarthy's presentation was hosted by the Blakely Advocacy Institute's Trial Lawyers Craft Speaker Series.


text:
Smeg Kitchen Dual Fuel Cooker with Gas Hob, BM93P
Smeg Kitchen Dual Fuel Cooker with Gas Hob, BM93P
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Product Details
Product Information
- Guarantee - 2 years
- Energy rating - AB
- Separate grill compartment
Features and Benefits
The BM93P dual fuel cooker combines exclusive aesthetics with superb quality and unmistakeable design offering an appliance which adds heart and soul to the home.
- 3 spacious oven cavities, with a large grill compartment with 2 shelf positions for versatile grilling. A multifunction oven with 4 shelf positions for flexible cooking. A tall oven with 7 shelf positions and Circulaire fan function which evenly distributes the heat over each shelf without transferring smells or flavours, perfect for batch or multi menu cooking.
- The recessed base main oven has a dual function, it can be used to aid cleaning (Vapour clean) or with the Smeg pizza stone for stone bake cooking.
- Superior tangential cooling fan system, ensures that the exterior door and facia are cool to touch, providing protection for small hands.
- The 5 burner gas hob is still a popular choice which gives you instant heat, offering you a selection of burners to suit every meal from a simple simmer to a super stir-fry.
- Side opening doors- Easy side access lets you to get closer to the oven, especially useful for people with mobility limitations.
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text:
Freestyle scooter info for parents and kids
Personally, I'm a big fan of being unique and different. Just about every video has a falls section, so it seems really overdone and clicé to me to have a falls section. I would only incorporate falls into a video if the a fall is funny, significant, or if it shows progression toward landing a very difficult trick. For example, when my kid was learning flairs on resi at Woodward, we included several of his falls in fast-forward motion prior to landing the flair in his video. It showed progression and not giving up.
Generally speaking, get inspiration from videos that are not scooter videos. Look at skiing and snowboarding videos, motocross videos, anything other than scooter and skateboard videos for inspiration. The reason for that is everyone copies other scoot and skate videos. You want your videos to stand out, so do something different! :)
Stand out in the crowd by not copying everyone else. Be original. Be yourself. Follow your own creative ideas.
Lamborghini makes pretty amazing cars. But what makes them so cool is that they are different and unique compared to the cars that Ford, Chevy, Honda, and Toyota make. If every car manufacturer made cars that looked exactly like those made by Lamborghini, they wouldn't be rare, interesting, or cool. The same thing applies to scooter videos. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you have to do something different than everyone else is doing.
You can create a unique perspective through your videos by trying to be completely original, but that can sometimes be hard to do. Another way to help promote original ideas is to try to avoid cliché and common techniques that you see in many other scooter videos. That's not to say that these often-used techniques are bad ideas, but you might want to try avoiding them if you want your videos to be creative and unique.
Use creative angles and filming techniques to stand out in the crowd.
Has your scooter kid been hounding you to make videos for him yet? If not, it's coming, so be prepared. Videos are a big part of the freestyle scooter culture and if your kid sticks with the sport, he's going to want to start making videos.
Until your scooter kid can throw double back flips with Dakota Schuetz and 1080s with Tyler Bonner, he's going to need a way to stand out in videos, so why not help him out with some creative filmmaking? This article and the accompanying video will outline some examples of how to use creative camera angles to make more interesting videos.
If you want to skip right to the video tutorial, you can find it at the bottom of this article.


text:
Whitney Wolfe has been able to do some very interesting things in the dating app world. She is really setting the bar high for anyone that comes after her with a dating app. People are pleased with the Bumble experience, and they want to know what Whitney Wolfe is up to next. People that are interested in this do not have to wait very long. Whitney Wolfe has put her time into developing other aspects of social media, and people that utilize the Bumble app will be able to switch back and forth between different aspects of this Bumble environment.
There are people that use Bumble for dating, but this isn't the only thing that Bumble can be used for. There are people that may decide to turn off their profile for dating and actually get connected with the Bumble BFF portion of the app. When people do this they are not in the Bumble dating environment anymore.
They switch to what is classified as the Bumble friends side of things. There are people that become connected to the Bumble world where people are looking to establish friendships. This is not something where dating is involved. There is definitely a need for this because some people date and get involved in a full-blown relationship quickly. They may not want to fully cancel there profile in the event that the relationship does not work, but they still want to be connected to Bumble. With this they can easily switch with the touch of a button to Bumble BFF and start making friends.
Another thing that has become popular through this app is Bumble Bizz. This is where people that may be originally on Bumble for the aspect of datin, but may find that they need to engage in networking for the sake of finding a job. With this people have opportunities to move on to building relationships and networking to secure job. This is something else that Whitney Wolfe was working on, and she definitely has been able to get people interested in this because she is connecting to a community of millennials that like to multitask.
Even though they may be looking for a date on one hand, some may also be interested in getting connected to others that can help them in there business endeavors. Whitney Wolfe represents the millennial generation, and she knows how to capture their attention.
Learn More: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Wolfe


text:
Toddler Haircuts – those words make my brain itch (yes, that's possible – because I said so).
Both of our toddlers are in need of a haircut. This will be Zeke's first haircut. Izaiah's hair is looking shaggy in a not cute way, so looks like it's time to head to the local kid hair salon for a hair whacking.
Having 3 boys with very thick hair, so needless to say I feel like we are getting haircuts every week (more like every 6 weeks). Here are some things I've learned along the way about surviving toddler haircuts.
5 Tips for Surviving Toddler Haircuts
1. Make Sure Your Toddler is Fed and Rested
A happy fed toddler is a lot easier to calm down and keep still than a tired hungry toddler. Try to bring your toddler when he is in his best mood (I see you rolling your eyes).
2. Prepare Your Toddler For the Haircut
I have found that if I get my toddler in the right mindset for getting a hair cut, it helps a lot more than if I just spring on a surprise trip. Also, maybe not using the word "hair cut" maybe "hair trim" might make the situation better. Cut is just not a good word in a toddler's mind.
Make the hair cut place an exciting adventure. LIE and make it the best place ever, not the germ-infested kiddie scream fest that it actually is.
3. Kids Hair Salon
We have tried several hair cut places and at the end of the day, we're sticking to kid hair salons from now on. Yes, they do cost a bit more but the truth of the matter is, they work only with
Snip-It's is one of the kid hair cut places we frequent.
kids and know how to handle melt downs and moving heads. Plus, the kid hair salon we go to has a TV, videos, video games and what not to keep your child entertained. Oh and don't forget the fun race car they get to sit in while getting their hair cut!
We took our oldest son to a generic hair cut place when he was 2. The man was SO MEAN to my son, screaming at him, and holding his head down like he was a dog. Let's just say it didn't end pretty. My son feared getting his hair cut for the longest time.
Call your kid hair salon and find out if they have discount days. They also offer an after-school special on certain days as well as home school discounts. We don't home school but since we can go mid-day, we save $5 on the hair cut. $5 x 3 is $15 – and that my friends is a cute pair of flats from Target, or a manicure.
And if You Don't Go To A Kids Salon…
If you don't have a kids hair salon near you, or prefer to go to another hair stylist, do make the experience as fun as possible. I read somewhere a recommendation to put stickers all over your child's clothes once they sit down for a haircut. That will help distract them for what is about to happen.
Another suggestion is to bring a Bumbo for your toddler to sit in. Make sure you hold them, but the Bumbo chairs act as a great booster, especially if the hair salon doesn't frequent kids.
Come up with a creative way to engage your child with the water and the clippers. Tell your toddler the water is rain and the clippers are a race car. Make it fun, and silly and as painless as possible.
4. Stay With Your Child During the Hair Cut
While your a toddler hair cut can be hell, a toddler left alone to get their hair cut is surely a frightening sight! I have multiple kids and know the pains of trying to juggle many. I make sure each child has my attention while getting a hair trim. Put the baby in the stroller, or leave her home.
It never fails that I end up holding my toddler's head so that the hair stylist can get a somewhat straight cut around the ears and neck. Be of assistance where you can be, your toddler will appreciate you more than a stranger telling him to hold still.
5. The Art of Bribing a Toddler
I have no problems bribing my toddler. Our kid hair salon has a bucket of suckers that they keep out on the counter. If our toddler is good during his hair cut, he'll get a sucker.
MOM CONFESSION: In all honestly sometimes, I just stick a sucker in his mouth during the hair cut to help keep him from screaming. You gotta do what you gotta do.
DIY Toddler Haircut
Occasionally I'll pull out the clippers and do a touch-up on the boys in-between hair cuts. With toddler hair cuts, I typically prefer to just let a professional hair dresser do it. With my daughter's hair, I'm scarred from many years of my mom cutting my bangs too short so I always take her to a professional.
{ This post is part of the Digital Mom Blog series Toddler Talk }
What Tips Do You Have for Toddler Haircuts?


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Back in June, the French division of Virgin Megais online store filed a complaint against Apple, seeking a court order that would force the iPod maker to license its FairPlay digital rights management technology to others. Today, the Conseil de la Concurrence, the French authority in charge of such matters, rejected Virginis claims, stating that that FairPlay technology was not required to sell music online, Hardmac.com reports.
Had Virginis complaint been accepted, the move would have paved the way for other stores to sell DRM music with iPod compatibility. Details on the decision are slim--Hardmac.com, the English translation of French Mac site MacBidouille offers no further details and searches online come up empty.
Virgin has been attempting to grab market share away from Appleis iPod and iTunes Music Store. Last month, the company unveiled its iPod mini competitor the Player 5GB.


text:
Easy Installation - no tools required!
These Yellow Structural Column Protectors are made of high-density polyethylene ensuring protection against any type of contact. They come in two halves and are attached by two easy-to-install straps.
Hand tools are not required for installation.
Fits 8 inch columns.
**Because of dimensional size, these are only shipped via Freight shipper. The higher the quantity ordered, the more cost effective the freight will be.**


text:
You work hard for your money and you know that you should be saving more of it. Developing a determined attitude towards savings is the first step which will get you on the road to financial freedom. So how do you start?
Here are some essential questions that you should ask yourself:
How much should I save?
It depends on what you are saving for. It is also relative to how much you earn. As much as possible is the first answer. However, understanding that the cost of living gets tougher every year, it becomes more and more difficult to keep up with your savings. You need to start out by contracting with yourself to save a percentage every month without compromise. This amount should rather be a percentage of your income instead of an amount. This will keep you honest with your savings drive as you will be increasing your savings as your income increases. If you are living at home with the folks, then you should be saving a lot more than if you are living on your own. You should work out your actual cost of living, see how you can manage the expenses. Stay away from debt and leave behind as much as possible for savings. Get the cash account for emergencies in place first and then onto the investments for the longer term.
How long do I want to save for?
You should save all the time. Short term savings targets for things like deposits on cars, holidays.Long term savings for your retirement. Your time horizon determines how much you can afford to invest in more risky assets such as shares. You see, shares tend to outperform other assets over time. They do not perform in straight lines. They are volatile which means that their valuations can move up and down in a very short space of time. This volatility smooths out in the performance of shares over a longer time horizon. So, if you can invest for the long term, then shares become a more appropriate option. Generally speaking this should be a period of 10 years or longer.
Do I have cash for unforeseen expenses?
A sound financial plan has a provision for emergencies. This should be a cash savings account which is easily accessible and earns some interest. Ideally, a money market account with your local bank. The amount saved should cover you for 6 times your monthly income need. Why? Well, if you have need to access cash for an unforeseen expense then this account is available instead of you having to cash in your investments which are set for the longer term. It buys you peace of mind that even if you lose your job you have some time find a new one.
This article first appeared on 702 : 3 questions you should ask before you save …


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Sometimes the only way to get a different perspective on Jesus is to force ourselves to see him a new way.
How often do we miss experiencing God or Christ in our midst because we can't see past the routine of everyday life and our preconceived ideas? In this activity, youth are challenged to meditate on an image of Christ and attempt to recreate their own version of that image as a line drawing. The catch? They look at the image upside down and draw it upside down.
Rather than trying simply to reproduce the entire image "as is," turning it upside down challenges the artist to focus on the various shapes and lines that make up the picture. Perhaps surprisingly, even those who claim they have no skill at drawing can create quite vivid images when they free themselves to focus only on line, shape, and shadow rather than the entire image. (This activity is based on an exercise in the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.)
Gather together a collection of images of Jesus (I just did a Google search and printed out paintings and drawings as well as photos of various actors portraying Jesus). Invite youth to choose one of the pictures that speaks to them in some way. Challenge them to turn it upside down and, using it as a guide, attempt to recreate on another sheet of paper the lines and shapes of the image just as they see them. Tell them to resist the temptation to try to turn the picture "right side up" in their brains as they draw. Just focus on the lines and shapes that they see. Doing so allows our brains to see things in a new way. When finished, invite the teens to look at their images right side up and reflect on the experience.
- What was it like to try to draw the image upside down?
- Why might we be stuck in seeing Jesus in only certain ways?
- What still surprises you about the life, ministry, and work of Jesus?
- In what ways do you think Jesus' own ministry was an "upside down" way of seeing the world and others?
- What might you do in the coming week to see Jesus in a new and challenging ways?