Retailers must be rubbing their hands together in glee, as the numbers from Black Friday and the post-Thanksgiving weekend come rolling in. Records have been broken, many a TV has been purchased and shoppers really went at it.

Retailers Rejoice Over Record Black Friday And Weekend Numbers – The Consumerist

Microsoft has completed the $8.5 billion acquisition of consumer VoIP and instant messaging service provider Skype from investment firm Silver Lake that was first announced
six months ago.

Now, Skype is officially a new business division inside of Microsoft, and the company’s CEO Tony Bates will become president of that division, reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. For now, it appears Skype’s products won’t change.

Skype now officially property of Microsoft

There are numerous ways for makers of pricey brand-name drugs to delay the release of generic copies and hold on to the market for even a few months longer. They could make slight changes to the doses or even go so far as to buy a company that supplies a needed ingredient. But one pharmaceutical company is taking a new approach to putting off the release of generic versions — etching an additional score into the pill’s surface.

Drug Maker Adds Line To Pill’s Surface To Delay Generic Versions – The Consumerist

I was stunned while watching World News with Diane Sawyer that they did not go into the disease affecting bats (White Nose Syndrome (WNS), but more important, all the negative sensationalism about bats.

Teen Dies of Rabies After Getting Bit by Vampire Bat in Mexico

Lets discuss this story in detail:

“”I got two shots in each arm and four shots directly into my stomach muscles, and then two months later, I was getting  follow-up shots every other week,” said Giroux. “It was pretty serious, but it was better than the alternative.”"

This sounds a little outdated. I was explained that it was fewer shots, not in the stomach anymore and there is one gluten shot with a big needle that will hurt, and the gluten is think so it will (forgot what nurse said exactly) make you uncomfortable and slight pain. To make a story worse, go with the outdated scarier stuff.

While most people think of dogs, raccoons or skunks as potential rabies carriers, bats are a major source of the disease in the United States, experts say. And on Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that a Mexican teenager had become the first person on U.S. soil to die from rabies after getting bit by a vampire bat.

And if you click on the link, bats are a major source… You get:

In the United States, most rabies cases before 1960 were also in domestic animals, but today more than 90 percent of all animal cases reported annually to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control occur in wildlife, most frequently in raccoons, bats, skunks and foxes.

Odd, they just said bats and nothing else. That is odd isn’t it? Here are two ways animals react to rabies:

1. Animal has rabies, does not go insane and attack people. They just die from it. Unless of course you touch it and it tries to fight you off like any other sick animal would: Bats
2. Animal has rabies, they get insane, they approach and attack other humans or animals. This is a mechanism to keep rabies alive. raccoons, skunks and foxes.

Which would you be more scared of? I thought so!!

According to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the 19-year-old man arrived to work on a Louisiana sugar cane plantation in July 2010. After one of day working in the field, he began to experience fatigue… …and on Aug. 21, he died of rabies. …had been bitten by a vampire bat in Mexico, 10 days before arriving in the U.S.

OK, where did this come from? Seems like it was copied and pasted in the story. The person was bitten in Mexico by a bat that is only in Mexico…. I see then it goes on to the importance of this world wide. I will spare you the quoted text.

Experts say that as soon as exposure to a rabid animal is suspected, it’s important to consult a doctor and receive a post-exposure prophylaxis vaccine. The vaccine will prevent them from getting rabies, which is almost always fatal.

The paragraph before this, and this one, is talking about wildlife in general trying to get people to think it is about bats only.

But as this vampire bat continues to make headlines, it’s important to understand that there are bats already carrying the deadly rabies virus in the United States.

Along with racoons, skunks, foxes, dogs….. More hype! Just don’t touch a wild bat! or any other wild animal. If it is in category 2 I listed above, go inside.

In 2009, U.S. health officials tested 30,000 bats from several dozen different species for rabies. Dr. John Williams of the department of pediatric infectious disease medicine at Vanderbilt  said that 6 percent, or about one out of 15 bats, tested positive for rabies.

Why should this scare me? 6%? How about raccoons, foxes, skunks, dogs and other mammals?

“A lot of times, people don’t even recall being bit by a bat,” said Williams. “The bites are small and not particularly painful. But even if someone handles a wild bat, they should receive the prophylactic vaccine because bats shed a lot of the virus through urine and other secretions. They don’t even have to bite to infect.”

I have been bitten by a captive Big Brown Bats for animal care that have had thier rabies shot. I have my Pre-exposure shots and sometimes you do not feel it. I do not know if it broke skin, so if it were a wild bat, I would have to get a few more easy shots. (Because of the Pre-x). I never heard of getting an infection without biting. I do not have time to research it. I could see it happen if you had a tiny cut you didn’t know you had, or went in your eye or mouth…

Will Vampire Bats Travel North?
But experts said those changes are complex and difficult to predict.

Lets worry about this when IF it ever happens.

What’s needed is more environmental monitoring, including information about prevalence of different viruses in various animal species as well as data on land use, weather and so forth,” said Alcabes. “This would allow for a richer understanding of how transmission of viruses to humans, as in this unfortunate case, arises from changes in ecosystems.”

Yes, why are we so worried? Lets just wait and see if it even happens. Pre-exposure rabies shots are no big deal. 3 different shots. You may get sick like from shot 2 or 3, but it is worth the extra peace of mind. Then again, I am not concerned about getting the pre-exposure if I didn’t have it. For what I do it is a requirement.

So there you have it! More proof that the media like ABC News, Diane Sawyer and her editor just likes to get you scared and give you incorrect information.

Photo: Straw Colored Fruit Bat
Photo Credit: Copyright 2011, Eric Vogel. www.ecvogel.com

Epsilon Email Issue

We were recently informed by Epsilon, a marketing vendor used by Stonebridge Life Insurance Company and its affiliates to send emails, that an unauthorized third party gained access to email files of a number of Epsilon’s clients, including
our email lists. For your security, you are receiving this notice from us because Stonebridge Life Insurance Company or its affiliates has sent you information via email in the past using Epsilon as our
vendor.

What information was accessed?

Your email address and first name has been accessed. No other personal information regarding you was accessed.

How does this impact you?

In all likelihood, this will not impact you. However, we recommend that you continue to be cautious of unwanted emails, emails that contain links with potential viruses or emails prompting you to provide personal or financial information. We urge you to be cautious when opening links or attachments from unknown third parties.

What is Epsilon doing about this?

Epsilon has notified us that they have identified the cause of the breach and have taken the necessary steps to prevent additional data access. Epsilon has reported this incident to the appropriate authorities for investigation.

We sincerely regret any concern or inconvenience this may have caused you. Your privacy and the security of your information is a top priority for us.

Sincerely,

Stonebridge Life Insurance Company and its Affiliates

2700 West Plano
Parkway ● Plano, Texas 75075-8200

But becareful, you stomach can’t hold that much fluids: http://consumerist.com/2011/01/starbucks-trenta-slightly-larger-than-average-human-stomach-capacity.html

If you do not like how the government contact your leaders and tell them in a professional constructive way your thoughts. Don’t forget you can go vote at the polls too. We are a civilized society and we need to be able to handle situations without resulting in violence. If you do not like the government and cannot stand it move to one of the other 194 countries*1 that are in the world! If you do not like them, then you must think this is the best country in the world and should learn to live here peacefully and try to make it a better place.

A 9 year old, named Christina-Tylor Green was born on a very, very sad day. September 11th, 2001! This poor girl who wanted to serve in the government was born during a tragic day filled with terrorism, and her life was ended by a terrorist*2. Please see *2 footnote below. The news has not flat out said it, but it is an act or terrorism!!!!

I would ask that everyone please take a few moments to say a few thoughts about these six people who had lost their life. Along with their grieving family and friends and the other 14 people who were shot and wounded and their family and friends.
Christina Green
U.S. District Judge John Roll
30-year-old Giffords aide Gabe Zimmerman
76-year-old Dorothy Morris
76-year-old Dorwan Stoddard
79-year-old Phyllis Schneck

*1 http://geography.about.com/cs/countries/a/numbercountries.htm
*2  terrorist (a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities)  http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=terrorist

By MITCH STACY, Associated Press Writer Mitch Stacy, Associated Press Writer – Tue Sep 7, 7:50 pm ET

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The government turned up the pressure Tuesday on the head of a small Florida church who plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11, warning him that doing so could endanger U.S. troops and Americans everywhere.

Pressure rises on pastor who wants to burn Quran – Yahoo! News

ERIC’s COMMENTARY:

I am stunned this person would be so inconsiderate to other peoples views. I find this to be the same thing I would expect out of other extremists who are terrorists. I am careful not to name the religion the church is attacking because there are other religions with extremists out there.

I cannot believe that all of this is happening? can’t we all live peacefully and respect each others viewpoints?

What is this going to send to the extremists overseas?? It is just going to fuel the fire.

There are many upon many Muslims in this world that are peacefully people. Why can’t we leave them alone? I understand the Muslim center by the 9-11 site is touchy and I have mixed feelings, but see no reason for it to be built a it further away.

I am stunned to see how this country is starting to go down hill and am afraid that a holocaust may start again. Please, lets not start a war. We can all peacefully exist together. There will be a few bad apples (extremists, which we have here too in non-Muslim religions also).

Plus think of the tons of many Muslims living here being peaceful and seeing all this? Do you have any idea how hurt they are? Unless I am attacked like that, I am not even sure that I fully will. Does anyone care about other peoples feelings anymore? Or just their own?

The church’s website is conveniently under construction. Must be an excuse to stop the flood of protestors against the burning. You can never fully trust Wikipedia but here is a Wiki about this so called church (really a Terrorist Group) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dove_World_Outreach_Center

Although I am no Muslim, I would never burn a Quran or a symbolic icon that means something and is sacred to that person or many persons. I do respect other people and their beliefs.

My heart goes out too anyone who is hurt about this potential Quran burning.