Looks like the four legged vermin actually have a legitimate role in health care in Tazania, when it comes down to whiffing out tuberculosis.
Rats may get their experience in the Middle Ages, when they acted as unwitting transport systems for the fleas carrying the Black Death. But their heightened sense of smell has made them heroic to the scientists studying tuberculosis. Msnbc.com reports that 1000 samples a week are collected by APOPO, a non-profit, to train around 30 giant-pouched rats to sniff out TB. These samples have already been checked by doctors, but rats inevitably find what they missed. And because of this, disease detection has improved by 44 percent.
Further, the rats can work at a much faster rate than humans. In just seven minutes, they can process what takes humans a full day.
Nice to see people taking advantage of evolutionary qualities in animals, for the benefit of mankind.
Not so stunning for those whose finger has been on the pulse of politics in this country for a very long time. For the comprehension and interpretation-challenged, the following list will seem contrived. Read Niles Gardiner’s article which clearly justifies each point listed. The objectivity from this UK journalist makes it even more searing.
There are an array of reasons behind the stunning decline and political fall of President Obama, chief among them fears over the current state of the US economy, with widespread concern over high levels of unemployment, the unstable housing market, and above all the towering budget deficit.
Americans are increasingly rejecting President Obama’s big government solutions to America’s economic woes… economy… health care… immigration… aloof and imperial style of leadership… striking absence of natural leadership ability (and blatant lack of experience)… lacklustre… confused and at times lacking in conviction… overall foreign policy has been an appalling mess, with his flawed strategy…
The Obama presidency is out of touch with the American people
Most Americans don’t have confidence in the president’s leadership
Obama fails to inspire
The United States is drowning in debt
Obama’s Big Government message is falling flat
Obama’s support for socialised health care is a huge political mistake
Obama’s handling of the Gulf oil spill has been weak-kneed and indecisive
US foreign policy is an embarrassing mess under the Obama administration
President Obama is muddled and confused on national security
His performance so far, leaves a lot to be desired for the Hope and Change glitter that was peddled in the 2008 election.
There will be mid term elections November 2010. The Blame Bush Strategy Won’t Work. Karl Rove. WSJ. A tired mantra that no longer suffices.
By a 61%-33% margin, voters in these battlegrounds believe America is on the wrong track.
So reveals an American Crossroads poll of likely voters in 13 battleground states. People want results, not rhetoric. The sales pitch from an inexperienced community organizer turned president of an unpopular agenda, says it all.
Representative Joe Donnelly (D-IN) apparently has the need to tell his constituents he works for them and not those in Washington, D.C.
How come?
It’s probably a very good idea for Democrats to avoid talking about their failed economic “accomplishments,” their unpopular Obamacare policy “accomplishments,” and their confusing and growth-stifling banking regulation “accomplishments,” not to mention their “accomplishment” of keeping us at an unemployment rate hovering around 10%.
And of course, the unpopular Democrats’ stance on immigration, and the federal government’s (Obama and Justice Department) action against a state’s right to protect itself when the feds are not doing their job they are sworn to uphold.
Gee. No end in sight to all the successes of the Democrats in office right now. The facts speak for themselves.
The easy way to make ice cream without an ice cream maker.
It’s still summer. And it’s still hot out there. Get to it. You won’t be sorry.
How to Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Plastic Bag
June 12, 2009
Two resealable plastic bags, one gal.-sized and one qt.-sized
1/2 c. reduced-fat or whole milk
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp. of sugar
1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract or 1 tbsp. of cocoa powder
2 trays of ice cubes
6 tbsp. salt
Waterproof winter gloves
Chocolate or butterscotch chips
Flavored syrups
Flavoring extracts
Step 1: Put ingredients in smaller bag
Put the milk and sugar in the quart-sized bag and seal it. For vanilla ice cream, add vanilla extract; for chocolate ice cream, add cocoa powder. Throw in a quarter of a cup of chocolate or butterscotch chips if you like.
Tip: Experiment with other varieties by using ½ to 1 tsp. of flavored syrups like strawberry or caramel or extracts like lemon or almond.
Step 2: Make an ice bag
Put the ice and the salt in the gallon-sized bag.
Step 3: Put small bag inside big one
Put the smaller bag inside the bigger bag and seal it.
Step 4: Shake it
Shake the larger bag vigorously for seven to 10 minutes.
Tip: Wear winter gloves while you shake; the bag is cold!
Step 5: Enjoy
Remove the small bag, which now contains ice cream. Snip a hole in the corner of the bag and squeeze it into a dish. Makes one serving.
