Daniel Hauser Update 28 May

After a week on the run, 13-year-old Daniel Hauser was facing his first court-ordered chemotherapy in relatively good spirits after meeting with cancer specialists Wednesday at Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, said his family's lawyer, Calvin Johnson.

"Everybody is trying to be sensitive to Danny's needs, and to address fears that he may have," said Johnson. "I think that's very important ... because he wants to get on with the business of getting better."

With a nationwide manhunt behind him, the boy from Sleepy Eye, Minn., showed up for his appointment accompanied by his mother, lawyer, social worker and court-appointed guardian. Daniel, who has Hodgkin's lymphoma, had vowed not to return to the hospital after his first chemotherapy treatment in February. (Children should not be allowed to make major medical decisions. Daniel's opinion of chemo is probably his parents opinion of chemo. I bet if you asked him if he wanted to die he would tell you no. He doesn't know that his parent's are relying on medical advice from a conman. All he knows is that he has been told that he can be healed by herbs. Herbs are a lot less painful than chemo, at least until the cancer starts eating away at your insides.)

"Children's Hospital welcomed Danny and his mom with open loving arms," Johnson said Wednesday. "Danny seemed to be responding to that very well."

A judge in New Ulm had made it clear the Hausers could lose custody of Daniel if he didn't show up for Wednesday's appointment. (Maybe the court should put a GPS bracelet on Daniel, or even better his mother. They need to do something to deter another run for the border to prevent Daniel being treated.)

District Judge John Rodenberg had ordered Daniel to receive chemotherapy and radiation after a court hearing earlier this month, rejecting his parent's decision to use only alternative therapies. The boy's doctors had argued Daniel would likely die without medical treatment.

The case drew national attention when Daniel and his mother, Colleen Hauser, disappeared before a May 19 court-ordered appearance and fled to California before returning Monday.

On Tuesday, Rodenberg ruled that Daniel could remain with his parents, but said that was "conditioned upon strict compliance" with several actions. According to an order made public Wednesday, they include:

• Daniel and his parents following his doctor's course of treatment, including multiple chemotherapy sessions. "One additional cycle of chemotherapy will not suffice," Rodenberg wrote.

• Daniel appearing at his medical appointment Wednesday and his chemotherapy appointment today.

• Physicians keeping the court updated with Daniel's treatment.

"If everyone does as they have now committed to do," the judge wrote, "Daniel is likely to recover from his disease and to live a full life."

The hospital declined to comment on the boy's condition, saying the family had requested privacy.

Johnson, though, praised the hospital staff for taking steps to ease the boy's fears.

Dr. Susan Sencer, medical director of the cancer program at Children's, said the hospital has therapists and other specialists to help children and their families cope. "Our entire program is about trying to make the journey through cancer therapy as meaningful and as easy as possible," she said.

Although she declined to talk about the Hauser case, she said the hospital also offers natural therapies, such as acupuncture, aromatherapy and yoga, to help children with the side effects and stress of treatment.

Meanwhile, life was returning to normal at the Hauser farm Wednesday. Sheriffs cars, which had shielded the driveway for some days, had left, as had the TV trucks. Daniel's father, Anthony Hauser, tended to the daily chores, traveling from the farm across the street to its dairy operations via red pickup.

Also Wednesday, Brown County Attorney James Olson said he has no plans to charge California lawyer Susan Daya in connection with Daniel and Colleen Hauser's trip to southern California.

Federal authorities were looking for Daya, who also goes by the name Hamwi, during the Hausers' week as fugitives. Daya was in New Ulm with the Hausers when they disappeared and has said she used her credit card to purchase Daniel and Colleen's tickets before the boy's mother repaid her with a check.

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The Choking Game

A grief-stricken father is determined to put an end to an Internet fad that is killing teenagers looking for a rush.

Some 1,200 students attend Issaquah High School. And by the Center for Disease Control's estimations, that means more than 200 of them have passed out while playing the choking game.

Statistics provided by the DB Foundation, a nonprofit educational group, show 75 percent of surveyed children between ages 9 and 16 have heard of or have played the game. Almost all teens are convinced it's safe, but the game killed Issaquah High student Kevin Tork.

By all accounts, Tork was an All-American kid. He's described as a funny and helpful teen who loved drama, poetry and his kid sister.

On March 30, Tork's sister found him dead, slumped over with a bathrobe belt tied around his neck.

"She'll never have that picture out of her mind," said his father, Ken Tork.

Ken Tork is convinced he died while playing the choking game. The game involves cutting off the circulation to the brain until one passes out. The hope is that one wakes up with a huge rush.

Several Web sites tout the game as a safe and legal way to obtain a brief sense of euphoria and an altered state of consciousness. But Ken Tork is convinced the game, especially when played alone, is deadly 90 percent of the time.

"I would have staked my life on the fact that my son would never do this," he said. "In fact I did, and I lost."

And to spread word about the dangers of the game, Ken Tork has joined the DB Foundation. The group's research says self-choking often takes place among well-adjusted, high-achieving students between the ages of 9 and 16. The game is said to have predominantly male participants.

Ken Tork said he warned his son months about the game, which could cause seizures, brain damage, retinal hemorrhaging and even a stroke.

Now he's warning parents to check Internet history on home computers and to keep an eye on their teenagers, even the well-behaving ones.

"These kids are playing it underground where they don't talk to their parents because they know. They know they're not supposed to do this," he said.

Ken Tork says his own son was a good kid who played a game where there are no winners.

"We've been convicted to a life sentence of pain and loss. We've experienced the worst pain life can throw at you," he said

The game goes by several names, including "pass out game," "fainting game" and "black out." There are dozens of other slang names, including "natural high," "five minutes of heaven" and "purple dragon."

Warning signs include frequent or severe headaches, bruising or red linear marks around the neck, bloodshot eyes, change in attitude, disorientation or grogginess after time alone, locked or blocked doors and unusual demands for privacy.

Who thinks of these stupid games? Or is it that our children are just that stupid?
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Map of Swine Flu Cases

There is a map of real time cases of the swine flu. It shows suspected cases, confirmed cases, and deaths. Most of the country doesn't have much to worry about yet. So don't panic and keep washing those hands.
Click the link to see the map.
map of swine flu cases

update:
The Governor of California has declared a of emergency in the state. That way we can get federal dollars to help prevent the spread.

And here is an explanation of the World Health Organization's (WHO) pandemic level system.

In nature, influenza viruses circulate continuously among animals, especially birds. Even though such viruses might theoretically develop into pandemic viruses, in Phase 1 no viruses circulating among animals have been reported to cause infections in humans.

In Phase 2 an animal influenza virus circulating among domesticated or wild animals is known to have caused infection in humans, and is therefore considered a potential pandemic threat.

In Phase 3, an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus has caused sporadic cases or small clusters of disease in people, but has not resulted in human-to-human transmission sufficient to sustain community-level outbreaks. Limited human-to-human transmission may occur under some circumstances, for example, when there is close contact between an infected person and an unprotected caregiver. However, limited transmission under such restricted circumstances does not indicate that the virus has gained the level of transmissibility among humans necessary to cause a pandemic.

Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way.

During the post-peak period, pandemic disease levels in most countries with adequate surveillance will have dropped below peak observed levels. The post-peak period signifies that pandemic activity appears to be decreasing; however, it is uncertain if additional waves will occur and countries will need to be prepared for a second wave.

Previous pandemics have been characterized by waves of activity spread over months. Once the level of disease activity drops, a critical communications task will be to balance this information with the possibility of another wave. Pandemic waves can be separated by months and an immediate “at-ease” signal may be premature.

In the post-pandemic period, influenza disease activity will have returned to levels normally seen for seasonal influenza. It is expected that the pandemic virus will behave as a seasonal influenza A virus. At this stage, it is important to maintain surveillance and update pandemic preparedness and response plans accordingly. An intensive phase of recovery and evaluation may be required.

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How To Prevent Swine Flu

A lot of parents are worried about the recent cases of Swine Flu, but the flu can usually be prevented with a few easy steps. I follow them religiously and have not had the flu since the 1980s (and I never get the vaccination), and my children, 16 and 10 have never had the flu. I simply follow the Center for Disease Control's recommendations (they also work to prevent other bugs).

How to Stop the Spread of Germs

In a nutshell: take care to

* Cover your mouth and nose
* Clean your hands often
* Remind your children to practice healthy habits, too

Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing

Cough or sneeze into a tissue and then throw it away. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

The "Happy Birthday" song helps keep your hands clean?

Not exactly. Yet we recommend that when you wash your hands -- with soap and warm water -- that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. That's about the same time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice!

Alcohol-Based Hand Wipes and Gel Sanitizers Work Too

When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.*

That is all I have ever done to prevent the flu, and I swear that it works.

And here is the link to the CDC's information page on the Swine Flu.

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Cycle Day 13 14Jan09

I think I'm ovulating. Somebody suggested that I try Fertility Friend. I entered the numbers and Fertility Friend gave me four different ovulation dates: cycle day 68 (the day before my period), and cycle days 4, 7, and 9. I think I will be sticking with MedHelp. If the numbers aren't clear it doesn't give you crosshairs. I don't need anymore confusion than I already have.

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Cycle Day 4

My doctor wants to track another cycle to see if it was just a luteal cyst or if I'm not ovulating at all.

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Cycle Day 68

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Cycle Day 65

It's never going to end.

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Cycle Day 59

These are temperatures from the same time every morning before I get out of bed. I did oversleep day 49 & 53.

It looks like I may have ovulated, and the temps are rising slowly. My doctor said to give them a few days.

Cycle Day 58

I have no clue what is going on.

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Cycle Day 57

I guess I didn't ovulate a couple of days ago. There is a line in the Billie Holiday song Good Morning Heartache that says ,"Maybe today is my good news day." Well, I am starting to feel like that, but it never seems to be.

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Cycle Day 56

I think I may have ovulated yesterday, but missed it. But it is still good news because at least I'm still ovulating. Sooner or later this cycle will end and I can try again.

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Cycle Day 55

My temperature yesterday never made it up to 98.6 so I knew it would be low this morning, but I didn't expect 96.8. I hope something is happening. At this point I don't care what.

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Cycle Day 54

Things are starting to look good. My temperature is going up. Maybe this is it.

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Cycle Day 53 17-12-08

It looks biphasic to me, at least it does once you factor in the couple of times I overslept. My waking temperature hovers around 97.7 and during the day my temperature is 98.6.

The chart is a cropped version of the MedHelp Ovulation Tracker.

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Cycle Day 52

If you throw out the first number because I'm not sure what time I took my temp, and day 49 where I overslept, it looks like I may have ovulated. I'm starting to feel like I may never ovulate again.

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Cycle Day 51

still nothing

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Cycle Day 50- Yes I Said 50

Maybe it is time for the Clomid. My last cycle was 48 days long. And what you aren't seeing is the week of positive OPK, and it looks like I still haven't ovulated. Maybe this will be the week.

The chart is a screen capture from here. It has a ton of information and it's free.

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Whopper Virgins

Am I the only one offended by the Burger King Whopper Virgins campaign. Not only does it smack of good ole American imperialism, but they are spreading bad nutrition to native populations. They have helped make the western world fat, and now they want to spread our bad diets to the nutritionally untainted.

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MP3 Stethoscope

You have to wonder why some prototypes never get made. They could market a stethoscope that records heartbeats at expectant parents and sell a ton. Because that is precisely what the Beforme stethoscope does it records heartbeats on the built in MP3 player. It also displays a graph of the heartbeat.

Other Stuff That Probably Won't Get Made
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