Sherman’s News and Editorials

In an AP story from new York as reported by yahoo news it was announced
that the Apple Corporation will permit 3rd-party applications on the iPhone, according to CEO Steve Jobs.
Jobs made this announcement on the company website today.
In a decision which marks a very decisive about-face from the firm’s past wish of controlling the applications that the users have on their handheld device’s,
Jobs stated that they want to release a software
 development kit in several months which will permit individuals outside the firm to create iPhone as well as iPod touch applications.
he was quoted as saying: “We are excited about creating a vibrant third-party developer community around the iPhone and enabling hundreds of new applications for our users,”
Designers have already constructed many iPhone applications which run their Safari Web browser since they did notoriginally open the iPhone directly to 3rd-party software development.
The iPhone, which combines a cellular telephone and wireless web access all together ina  single hand held device, was released some towmonths ago with much hype and high expectations.
 To date, the firm has sold more than one million iPhones.
The CEO stated today that it will take a few months to release the kit since the firm wishes to give developers an open platform while at the same time protecting users from various viruses and malware, etc.
That sounds reasonable enouph to me…
He was quoted as saying: “There have been serious viruses on other mobile phones already, including some that silently spread from phone to phone over the cell network,” he wrote.
It was also recently repiorted by the AP that many cell
 phone and PDA users have been reporting that they sometimes feel odd vibrations when there are none.
This rather odd phenomenon is often referred to as ‘Phantom Vibrations’ and no one seems to know exactly what is causing it.

In possibly the most horrific pet news since the Michael Vick story broke, Georgia authorities claim that Tye Hilmo, 21, of Dacula trapped neighborhood cats and fed them to his pit bull.The Georgia Police Department charged Hilmo with aggravated animal cruelty. This is a felony which carries a sentence of 1-5 years in jail and a substantial fine as well.
 He has been in the Gwinnett County Jail, with no bond permitted, since deputies searched his house on September 10. They found 2 lbs of marijuana, a few firearms plus 2 feline bodies in his yard, according to police.
In addition, his  mobile telephone had a grisly picture of a canine eating a kitten above a line that reads, “Good dog”, the report states.
At first, the Police officers assigned to the case charged the suspect with some offenses pertaining to the guns and narcotics. But they then tacked on the cruelty to animals charges 2 days ago. It should be noted, however, that some of his neighbors are a bit skeptical of the latter charges.
“He drinks and he is loud…… no question about that,” said Tim Johnson, 31, a neighbor. But he stated that Hilmo really adored animals. He stated that he found these charges “really hard to believe.”
Samson and stepdaughter Ashley McIlvainey, 18, said they are not sure that Hilmo is to blame.

The scourges of heat combined with humidity have brought with them a plethera of mosquitoes to Tulsa, oklahoma and it is not just humans who are fighting these aweful critters.

Cats, for instance, might face the dreaded heartworm after being bitten by mosquitos.

The signs to look for might not show for a few months or even years, as the sheer numbers of heartworms often accumulates rather gradually.

Like cats, dogs might show no early signs of heartworms, while severely infected animals might show signs which include a cough, low energy levels, lowered appetite and also weight loss.

Heartworms in dogs are eliminated by a drug known as adulticide, that is injected into a muscle in a sequence of treatments. However, there are no products are approved for the treatment of heartworms in cats in the US at this time, unfortunately.

The risk of reinfection during treatment is eliminated by using a heartworm preventive.

 The mosquito picks up microfilaria while it is feeding on the blood from an infected animal such as a feline.
It is live for some 2 weeks in the salivary glands of a mosquito. The mosquito bites another animal and releases the heartworm larvae into the wound and ultimately the bloodstream.

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1. Cat Health

   Loerik: Cat From Hellrobelsas posted a photo:Loerik feels he is a very gifted actor. You see the result.This a bad photo technically, but Loerik must be exposed. I’ve left in the yellow and red eyes for effect.
   DSC_4794junku posted a photo:
   The

While most people are aware of the high profile headlines concerning the recent pet food and human food recalls,
few people realize the difficulty in tracking the sources, according to a recent AP report by esteemed journalist Andrew Bridges.
This is because if you take a look at the ninety-odd brands composing the recall of canned chili, stew & similiar food items, it all points back back to one manufacturer.
This was likewise the situation regarding the recalls of spinach, frozen meat and of course the now sad and infamous pet food recalls,
in which so many innocent animals were killed or severely sickened.
More than ever before, firms are outsourcing the food Americans consume, or at least the ingredients found in them — and then selling these items under many different brand names.
Many of these tainted ingredients come from China. To add insult to injury, many toys from that country have been found with toxic levels of lead in them.
The real issue here is that if individuals can’t trace a particular item back to it’s supplier, then that supplier has very little, if any, reason to keep their facilities or processing plants up to decent standards.
Oversight is remarkly slack. For example, the major brand in the pet food recalls was a co-regulator of the pet food industry along with the FDA.
Apparently, it all comes down to effeciency and simple economics: Outsourcing makes monetary sense for the firms who are unwilling to expand their existing manufacturing facilities. Established manufacturers may use excess capacity to fill the orders for others.
For some certain products which require expensive machinery — such as pet food for example — a limited number of contract manufacturers, like Menu Foods inc, make products which are then sold under many different brand names,
according to the AP report. The skeptics of this outsourcing believe that, in general, it creates increased vulnerability to our food supply. In essence, the manufacturer is no longer responsible to the consumer, but instead to other firms.
Meanwhile, various food safety advocates have repeatedly stated that when issues crop up with food items made under contract, sorting out who made what may delay recalls and public health warnings in general.
As an example, in July the FDA for a number of hours delayed issuing a consumer warning about botulism contamination in various canned food items until it could sort out the brands under which the Castleberry’s Food Co. product was sold.
In addition to this, there has been a fairly long delay in mandating that imported fruits & vegetables be labeled with their country of origin.

Much of the following information was taken from the August Trilogy Health and Wellness newsletter:
The majority nutritionists and dieticians concur that dietary supplements may be quite useful for achieving a balanced diet. In addition, high-quality supplements
may help to prevent long-term nutritional deficiencies. Furthermore, stress and a bad diet may disrupt the body’s natural ability to process and effectively use vitamins and minerals.
Vitamins are in fact nutrients that have to come from outside sources, like food & nutritional supplements, since the body cannot manufacture them on it’s own.
Holistic researchers say that highly processed foods have a reduced nutritional value. The vast majority of mass-produced food products are chock full of preservatives such as nitrites and MSG, and these
  can cause negative reactions in certain individuals, unfortunately. Processing and refining foods may reduce the fiber content of some food products.
More than ever, individuals are trying to maintain low-calorie diets. As a result many do not eat the diversity of foods that is required for complete nutrition. Ultralogix brand supplements from Trilogy   Trilogy has risen to meet the demand for better nutrition with a unique line of vitamin, mineral & herbal supplements.

According to top Associated Press journalist Seth Borenstein,
a number of of scientists from around the globe are attempting to create life from nothing and they re getting closer,
or so it appears, at least. They said to anticipate some kind of announcement within 3-10 years or so from an individual in the somewhat esoteric area of study known as “wet artificial life.”
In fact, some researchers think that man-made life forms will eventually offer the possibility of solving a number of different problems, such as fighting diseases and locking up greenhouse gases so as to consume toxic waste.
As Borenstein points out, a top man in the field, Jack Szostak, states that as early as the next 5 months or so, researchers will report evidence that the initial phase — making an actual cell membrane — is “not a big issue.” The researchers are basically
 using fatty acids in this particular effort. He is likewise positive about the next step — getting nucleotides (building blocks of DNA) to form a working genetic system.
The idea is that once the container is constructed, if researchers add nucleotides in the correct amounts, then Darwinian evolution may essentially go from there.
In the meantime Steve Benner at the Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution is addressing this issue by going outside of natural genetics. Regular DNA is composed of some 4 bases which are specific molecules
 that spell out the genetic code in couples. He is trying to add 8 new bases to the genetic alphabet.
He also stated that there are valid concerns about producing life which could go awry but there are certain methods of addressing it, and it will be a long time before this is an issue.

The high profile Toxic Toy crises has not just hit the United Stated hard, unfortunately.
Canadian  Health Minister Tony Clement has launched a comprehensive review of safety standards as the list of tainted Chinese-made
 products continues to grow. Meanwhile, the ministry will reporting very soon on whether or not new measures are going to be required to protect consumers.
The Mattel corporation, a toy making giant, has announced 2 huge worldwide recalls of toys coated in highly toxic lead paint after earlier reports of tainted goods, including toothpaste, pet food and even defective tires.
It all adds up to increasing weariness regarding products from China. Sue Huh, a mother of 2 small children, says she has been deliberately avoiding toys made in China in recent months. Don’t want junior to accendially swallow that Matchbox racecar.
The NY Times newspaper has reported that certain vinyl baby bibs from China have paint levels of a staggering 3 times the acceptable maximum of lead.
Finally, the governments of Canada, the United States and Mexico are ready to consider joint action.
 The 3 leaders will be discussing safety standards for these products from a “continental perspective”.
Health officials such as the federal Public Health Agency are on increased alert for any examples of lead poisoning, yet there have been no reports of any such illnesses up to this point, luckily.
 The toys being recalled are small enough to fit into a kid’s mouth, and saliva can dissolve lead from paint.
Legal fforts to reduce the lead in the environment, such as a ban on leaded gasoline, have succeeded in reducing the levels of lead as well as reported cases of poisoning, yet the symptoms, such as possible permanent brain damage, mean that parents are of course very concerned.

The Latest Fish Oil Supplementation research
Here is a great fish oil article written by Lori mathews

In the quest to achieve better health and wellness, fish oil supplements have become an increasingly popular way to take advantage of many different medical benefits. Fish oil originates from the tissues of oily fish, such as carp, herring, salmon, and fresh tuna. Today, fish oil is recommended as part of a healthy diet because of the amount of omega-3 fatty acids contained, which is known to reduce inflammation throughout the body and lessen the threat of coronary heart disease (among other things).

There are two main ways to include fish oil as part of a healthy diet. The first involves the consumption of oily fish, including sardines and cod, which contain oils throughout their body and about their gut, unlike other species of fish. Depending on the species, oily fish fillets may offer up to 30% oil. Besides omega-3 fatty acids, oily fish also provides a good source of vitamins A and D.
Decreased Pain Levels and Inflammation

Omega-3 fatty acids may posses the power to lessen inflammation in the body, as well as ease the pain associated with arthritis and cystitis. Rheumatoid arthritis patients often report an improvement in joint pains and inflammation when taking fish oil supplements.

Treats Depression and Stress

Some individuals have been able to ease their symptoms of depression by implementing omega-3 fish oil supplements into their diet. Fish oils have also been linked to showing promise in treating bipolar and psychotic patients. Supplements may also help to promote the overall mood of patients, and may even reduce premenstrual stress.

Cardiovascular Improvements

The heart, arteries, and veins may benefit from fish oil because it has been known to help lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure, while at the same time improving “good” cholesterol levels.
Fights Strokes and Heart Attack

The threat of stroke and heart attack may be decreased with the introduction of fish oils into a diet because they may help to prevent blood clots and other damage to the heart. A decreased risk of sudden death and heart attacks has also been seen.
Enhances Brain Activity

Fish oil is known to boost intelligence and overall happiness in users, as well as improve the memory and ability to stay focused. In the elderly, the risk of dementia and memory loss sometimes decreases with the use of fish oil supplements. Additionally, mothers who consume or take a high amount of omega-3/fish oils during pregnancy often give birth to children with a higher IQ.

Combats Childhood Disorders

Children, who suffer from disorders, such as ADD and ADHD, have experienced a better quality of life when incorporating fish oil fatty acids into their diet. Additional conditions that respond to fish oils include dyslexia and compulsive disorders.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please visit benefits of taking pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements for more information.

European researchers have discovered evidence of an advanced mental ability in canines; one that was previously thought to be specific only to humans!A behavior known as “selective imitation” is a method of learning that brings meaning and cultural context to specific actions. In selective imitation, observers (usually infants) differentiate between two types of behaviors. There are acts of necessity (I can’t use my hands right now because they’re otherwise occupied, so I’ll use my elbow to open the door lever) and there are acts of inefficient preference (even though I can use my hands which are not presently occupied, I like to open the door with my elbow). When human infants observe the two behaviors, they will adopt the latter skill (i.e., the latter behavior is “selected”).

Despite the fact that top lawmakers tried to ramrod this bill through even though rouphly eighty percent of Americans were against it according to polls, it nontheless has failed, for now. Congress will reconvene on this later, according to reports.

According to Yahoo News and the Associated Press, The bill’s Senate supporters fell fourteen votes short of the sixty required to limit debate and pave the way for final passage of the legislation, which many critics have panned as basically offering amnesty to illegal immigrants. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate.

Certain senators in both parties said the issue is so volatile that Congress is not likely to revisit it this fall or next year, when the presidential election will increasingly dominate American politics.

The commander in Chief appeared glum as he spoke, according to the story. His negotiators had expressed optimism the vote would go their way — or, at least be a little bit closer than it turned out to be.

“Congress really needs to prove to the American people that it can come together on hard issues,” Bush said. He turned attention to other his other goals in Congress this year, including energy, health care and balanced-budget initiatives.

Last year a similar immigration effort was defeated by the Congress, and the House has not bothered with an immigration bill this year, awaiting Senate action.

The vote was a defeat for a bipartisan group of lawmakers who advocated the bill as an imperfect but necessary fix of current immigration practices in which many illegal immigrants use forged documents or lapsed visas to live and work in the US.

It was a victory for Republican conservatives who severely criticized the bill’s provisions that would have established pathways to lawful status for many of the estimated twelve million illegal immigrants. They were aided by talk radio and Television hosts who repeatedly verbally assaulted the bill and urged listeners to flood Congress with phone calls, faxes and electronic-mails.Voting to allow the bill to proceed by ending debate were 33 Democrats, 12 Republicans and independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. Voting to block the bill by not limiting debate were 37 Republicans, 15 Democrats and independent Bernard Sanders, Vt. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., did not vote.The bill would have toughened border security and also instituted a newer method for weeding out illegal immigrants from workplaces. It would have created a new guest worker program and allowed millions of illegal immigrants to obtain legal status if they briefly returned home.

Bush, making a last-ditch bid to salvage the bill, called senators early Thursday morning to urge their support. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez approached senators as they entered and left the chamber shortly before the vote.But conservatives from Bush’s own party led the opposition. They repeatedly said the government must secure the borders before allowing millions of illegal aliens a path to legal status.Sen. Elizabeth H. Dole, R-N.C., said many citizens simply “do not have confidence” that borders, particularly in the south, will be substantially tightened. “It’s not just promises but proof that the American people want,” Dole said.Many radio personalities assaulted the bill. Sean Hannity was very outspoken against it.On the Rush Limbaugh show it was reported that border agents had their hands tied and that the illegals had more rights than them. One caller on another conservative radio program and said “I am very upset that they are trying to ram this bill through and are not securing the border. You get on an airplane to go anywhere and you are treated like a criminal. 90 year old women have to strip and are prodded just to travel to see their relatives for Christmas. Yet millions of illegals literally pour across our border each year, about twenty percent of whom have a criminal record, and some have bodygaurds and are leaving korans along the side of the desert trails into the country. Meanwhile ordinary tax paying citizens are treated like common criminals.”