Hoboken Women's Association

Free H1N1 vacination

2010-01-07T10:36:00.000-05:00

When: Monday, January 11, 2010

Location: Assumption Hall (3rd Street Entrance)
Hoboken University Medical Center
308 Willow Ave.
Hoboken, NJ 07030

Time: 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

* THE VACCINE IS AVAILABLE TO ALL MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC

* THE CLINIC WILL PROVIDE THE SECOND DOSE FOR CHILDREN 9 YEARS OF AGE AND BELOW WHO REQUIRE A SECOND IMMUNIZATION PURSUANT TO THE CDC GUIDELINES OF 21—28 DAYS AFTER THEIR INITIAL VACCINATION

*Children under 18 years of age will not be vaccinated without the presence of a parent/ guardian

* Supply is limited vaccine will be distributed on a first come first serve basis

*Please Do Not come if you are sick

The type of vaccine provided will be the Injectable H1N1, prepared from pieces of dead H1N1 viruses that, once injected, will trigger the immune system to create antibodies to attack the H1N1 virus. It is approved for use among persons 6 months of age and older, including those who have chronic medical conditions and pregnant females at any stage of pregnancy. Please note that children 9 years of age and under will require a second dose of vaccine 21 to 28 days later. Attached please find a copy of the consent form as well as the Vaccine Information Statement. Should you have any questions or concerns please contact the Hoboken Health Department at (201) 420- 2375 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or logon to the City of Hoboken website at http://www.hobokennj.org/ . Our number one priority is to protect the safety and wellbeing of each and every individual in our community. I know we can make this a happy and healthy year.

Lynette Medeiros
Registered Environmental Health Specialist, CPO
Hoboken Health Department
124 Grand Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
LMedeiros@HobokenNJ.org
Phone: (201) 420-2358 or 2375
Fax: (201) 420-7862

Footnote: Please note that I did not attach the consent form. Please go to the city's website for this.

A note from a HWA member

2009-12-19T10:24:00.001-05:00

Of the 180 11th hour appointments, 4 are for the Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC). These people set the tone for the collective bargaining process as they hear appeals to arbitrated contracts. For example, if a municipality appeals an arbitrated union con...tract to them saying that the arbitrator did not consider today's dire economic state, it's up to this body to opine if it has merit. If it sides with the municipality it changes the threshold for change for all arbitrated and by implication all contracts that don't go to arbitration as that's always an option. This body has been and would be if these appointments go through extremely labor friendly.

Our contracts constitute 55% of our budgets. We are giving away golden packages with healthcare plans that cost >$20K per person, $150 - $250K checks at retirement for unused vacation and deferred comp while they have gotten "extra" days for bar mitzvah's, weddings and even shopping.

Please write a letter to Corzine, and the senators who can block these nominations. I have penned a sample letter and below are all the addresses you need. PLEASE HELP MAKE SURE WE GET THE ADMINISTRATION WE VOTED FOR. (some of the terms of these appointments are for 3 or more years!!! The PERC ones are for 3 years and it's a 7 panel board for 4 appointments = a labor friendly majority)

Here is what I penned and for your convenience the list of addresses to copy.

For Corzine, all we have is his home address so you have to send it though the USPS.

govelect@govelect.state.nj.us, Senstack@njleg.org, senbsmith@njleg.org, senbuono@njleg.org, sensarlo@njleg.org, (these folks can block the nominations)

donnaantonucci@gmail.com (please copy me so I know how many people participated)

Copy the nominees: aeeaton@rci.rutgers.edu (Adrienne Eaton) 216 Lawrence Ave, Highland Park, NJ 08904 skrengel@edlawcenter.org (Sharon Krengel) Local108yttw@msn.com (Ira Stern - Nominated for the Chair position) pbvoos@rci.rutgers.edu (Paula Voos)

Governor Jon Corzine
1025 Maxwell Lane
P109/1200
Hoboken, NJ 07030

RE: 4 PERC Nominations Governor Corzine, I am writing to ask you to withdraw the 4 nominations for the PERC Board. As you know, these 4 positions have been in hold over status for quite some time. I believe one post expired at the end of 2007. As such, you are creating a majority that will serve for the next 3 years rather one that would have been staggered out over one year of the new administration.

I believe NJ needs a new direction. As I am sure you have read the NJ Commission of Investigations report dated December 2009, our public employee contracts under the collective bargaining process are fleecing the state. Most embarrassing for Hoboken, Hoboken was cited as an example of how the current collective bargaining process has condoned tremendous excesses and abuse.

The PERC board sets the tone and determines the burden of proof in any appeal. We sent former Police Chief LaBruno off into retirement with a $525,000 payout on top of his 7 figure NPV retirement + health care for life. We cannot get our public employees to contribute to healthcare premiums or take a plan limited to a network or has a deductible above $200 per family. In 2008/2009 we spent $23,000 per employee because we have not been able to get them away from a very expensive plan. Our contract has extra days for weddings, bar mitzvahs, blood donation. As such, they accrue a tremendous amount of vacation that they take at the retirement in addition to terminal pay.

We are paying out $150 to $250,000 per public safety employee who retires with 25 years or more on top of their lucrative pension. I have reviewed the PERC website and have looked at various appeals. Many municipalities have tried to make the argument that these are dire economic times. Our population is out of work, underemployed and leaving the state. Hoboken's median age is 30 v the state average of 36. We have a disproportionate number of young people who are experiencing much higher unemployment - as much as 50%. Personnel costs represent 55% of our budget. We cannot afford to pay into the pensions system to make good on these contracts.

NJ comes in dead last in terms of property taxes in the country based on the The Tax Foundation - a non profit that looks at taxation across the nation. We have the highest income tax rate in our upper income bands and many of our wealthy are leaving the state and on a microcosm, Hoboken as well. If we don't impact these contracts, we cannot bring relief to the citizens of Hoboken. The PERC Commissioners burden of proof that economic conditions are severe enough to curtail increases much less wage and benefits cuts never seem to be enough. We need a PERC board that thinks differently and I think Governor-elect Christie will marshall in that group if you let him.

We are in the middle of negotiating our public safety contracts. The unions are well aware that the terms of 6 out of 7 PERC Commissioners have expired. By putting forth these nominations at this time is allowing them to continue to resist necessary and prudent benefits cuts and wage freezes. I urge you to rescind these 4 nominations and allow the new administration to do so. Sincerely,

--
Donna Antonucci
201-240-6832

Free H1N1 Swine Flu Virus Immunizations

2009-12-11T16:11:00.000-05:00

A new influenza virus, called the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, was identified in the United States last spring. The virus has caused illness ranging from mild to severe, including hospitalizations and deaths in adults and children. Many children have been infected by the 2009 H1N1 virus and some Daycares Centers in the United States have had large outbreaks.

In order to limit the spread of the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children and adults aged 6 months through 24 years be vaccinated against 2009 H1N1 virus. Other groups recommended to get the first available doses of the vaccine include:

v Pregnant women

v People who live with or care for children younger than 6 months of age

v Health care and emergency medical service workers

v People ages 25 through 64 years who have certain health conditions such as HIV, diabetes, hepatic, neuromuscular, metabolic disorders, or heart or lung disease (asthma or COPD)

Vaccination is the best way to protect your child from this potentially serious virus. A clinic will be conducted with the Hoboken Health Department in conjunction with qualified healthcare providers at the Hoboken University Medical Center. Vaccinations will be provided free of Charge. The clinic will take place:

When:

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Location:

Assumption Hall (3rd Street Entrance)

Hoboken University Medical Center

308 Willow Ave.

Hoboken, NJ 07030

Time:

9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m.

¯ Children under 18 years of age will not be vaccinated without the presence of a parent/ guardian

¯Supply is limited- vaccine will be distributed on a first come first serve basis.

¯Please Do Not come if you are sick

The type of vaccine provided will be the Injectable H1N1, prepared from pieces of dead H1N1 viruses that, once injected, will trigger the immune system to create antibodies to attack the H1N1 virus. It is approved for use among persons 6 months of age and older, including those who have chronic medical conditions and pregnant females at any stage of pregnancy. Please note that children 9 years of age and under will require a second dose of vaccine 21 to 28 days later. Consent Forms and Vaccine Information Statements will be available at the City of Hoboken Website beginning next week. Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Lynette Medeiros at the Hoboken Health Department at (201) 420- 2375 between the hours of 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. or log on to the City of Hoboken website at http://hobokennj.org/docs/health/H1N1clinic1.pdf .Our number one priority is to protect the safety and wellbeing of the citizens of Hoboken.

Lynette Medeiros

Registered Environmental Health Specialist, CPO

Hoboken Health Department

124 Grand Street

Hoboken, NJ 07030

LMedeiros@HobokenNJ.org

Phone: (201) 420-2358 or 2375

Fax: (201) 420-7862

November 3, 2009 - Hoboken Mayoral Election Result

2009-11-04T20:34:00.001-05:00

Hoboken Mayor

Patricia A. Waiters - 74 (.60%)
Elizabeth Mason - 2,780 (22.61%)
Frank Raia - 2,270 (18.46%)
Nathan Brinkman - 554 (4.50%)
Everton A. Wilson - 36 (.29%)
Dawn Zimmer - 5,278 (42.92%)
Kimberly Glatt - 1,284 (10.44%)
Personal Choice - 22 (.18%)

Total 12,298 (100.00%)

Estimated total amount that each candidate spent on their campaign:
Elizabeth Mason - $395,000.00
Frank Raia - $200,000.00
Dawn Zimmer - $97,151.00
Kimberly Glatt - $40,880.00
Nathan Brinkman - $25,576.00
Everton A. Wilson - $1,455.00
Patricia A. Waiters - $275.00

Election Day - Tuesday, November 3, 2009 (Polls are open from 6am to 8pm

2009-11-02T00:19:00.001-05:00

Exercise your right, please go out and vote.

Hoboken Mayoral Candidates
1. Nathan Brinkman
2. Everton A. Wilson
3. Patricia Waiters
4. Kimberly Glatt
5. Beth Mason
6. Frank Raia
7. Dawn Zimmer

New Jersey State Governor Candidates
1. Jon Corzine
2. Chris Daggett
3. Chris Christie

2009-10-27T10:39:00.003-04:00

The mayoral election is approaching fast. There are 7 candidates running. Regardless of who becomes the next mayor, what are some things you would like our next mayor to accomplish? What are the top three issues that are important to you, and you would like the city to focus on?

Free Seasonal Flu Mask - By HWA

2009-10-20T11:56:00.003-04:00

While many people are concerned about the Swine Flu/Seasonal Flu around the world and are wearing flu masks, it sounds like the wrong people are wearing the mask.

“If you’re wearing a mask to prevent yourself from catching it, they’re not so effective,” said Dr. M. Lindsay Grayson, professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne and one of the study’s co-authors. “But if you’re sick with the flu and coughing and sputtering, those masks do prevent you from spraying those bugs everywhere.”

Having said that, HWA - Hoboken Women's Association is giving away 10 Flu Masks free. If you are interested in getting the mask, please state "I do" below this message this all the members can see that first 10 has been claimed. Then the first 10 people should email me with their address (HobokenWomensAssociation@gmail.com). You should get it within four days.
As one of the members stated before "Wishing you all a Healthy Winter...".

HWA

In case you missed the Mayoral Debate, POG - People for Open Government, has the video posted on their website.

2009-10-18T22:47:00.001-04:00

http://videos01.hobokenpog.org/4.aspx

Interracial couple denied marriage license in La.

2009-10-16T13:39:00.002-04:00

HWA - Editor's Note: 42 Years after the Supreme Court made race based marriage restrictions unconstitutional, racism is still alive in Louisiana.

A Louisiana judge says he will not issue marriage certificates for inter-racial marriages because he supposedly wants to protect the kids. The one line I found funny in it was the judge says he is not a racist because he lets black people use his bathroom. It is people like this that give the south a bad reputation.

NEW ORLEANS – A white Louisiana justice of the peace said he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple out of concern for any children the couple might have.

Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 1/2 years.

Beth Humphrey, 30, and 32-year-old Terence McKay, both of Hammond, say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.
Humphrey, an account manager for a marketing firm, said she and McKay, a welder, just returned to Louisiana. She is white and he is black. She plans to enroll in the University of New Orleans to pursue a masters degree in minority politics.

"That was one thing that made this so unbelievable," she said. "It's not something you expect in this day and age."

Humphrey said she called Bardwell on Oct. 6 to inquire about getting a marriage license signed. She says Bardwell's wife told her that Bardwell will not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples. Bardwell suggested the couple go to another justice of the peace in the parish who agreed to marry them.

"We are looking forward to having children," Humphrey said. "And all our friends and co-workers have been very supportive. Except for this, we're typical happy newlyweds."
"It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzmann. She said the Supreme Court ruled in 1967 "that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry."

The ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and recommending "the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice."
"He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it," Schwartzmann said.
According to the clerk of court's office, application for a marriage license must be made three days before the ceremony because there is a 72-hour waiting period. The applicants are asked if they have previously been married. If so, they must show how the marriage ended, such as divorce.
Other than that, all they need is a birth certificate and Social Security card.

The license fee is $35, and the license must be signed by a Louisiana minister, justice of the peace or judge. The original is returned to the clerk's office.

"I've been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don't think I've mistreated anybody," Bardwell said.

"I've made some mistakes, but you have too. I didn't tell this couple they couldn't get married. I just told them I wouldn't do it."
By: AP

Obama's Nobel Surprise - What are your thoughts?

2009-10-15T00:21:00.003-04:00

If President Obama really had to get a gift postmarked Scandinavia this month, he would probably, on the whole, have preferred the Olympics. At least at the Olympics the judges wait till after the race to give you the gold medal. They don’t force it on you while you’re still waiting for the bus to take you to the stadium. They don’t give it to you in anticipation of possible future feats of glory, like a signing bonus or an athletic scholarship. They don’t award it as a form of gentle encouragement, like a parent calling “Good job!” to a toddler who’s made it to the top rung of the monkey bars. It’s not a plastic, made-in-China “participation” trophy handed out to everyone in the class as part of a program to boost self-esteem. It’s not a door prize or a goody bag or a bowl of V.I.P. fruit courtesy of the hotel management. It’s not a gold star. It’s a gold medal.

We can take it as a sign of what a lucky fellow our President is that winning the Nobel Peace Prize has been widely counted a bad break for him. Barack Obama has come very far very fast. Five years ago, not long after finishing a distant second for a Chicago congressional nomination, he was still one of the hundred and seventy-seven members of the Illinois state legislature. Four years ago, he took his seat in the United States Senate, ushered there not only by his own undoubted talents but also by the serial self-destruction of his opponents. One year ago, he won the Presidency with a margin of victory—nine and a half million votes—that was the largest since 1984; absent the tailwind provided by his predecessor’s abysmal record, however, that margin would have been far smaller, possibly even nonexistent. He is certainly one of fortune’s favorites. He came into office on a tide of euphoria. Lately, though, his supporters have been experiencing a vague sense of disappointment. He may have saved the world from a second Great Depression and all that, but the jobless rate keeps on climbing, the planet keeps on heating up, Guantánamo keeps on not getting closed, and roadside bombs keep on exploding. He’s had eight whole months, and he still hasn’t signed a comprehensive health-care bill. Given that his perceived political problem is exaggerated expectations, does he really need a Nobel Peace Prize before he has actually made any peace?

The award to Obama illustrates, among other things, the difference between the “hard” and the “soft” Nobels. The prizes for physics, chemistry, and medicine are never given for trying, only for succeeding. Also, there is no apparent attempt to achieve regional, national, or ethnic balance. The same cannot be said of the literature prize, which frequently goes to authors who write in languages that few if any of the judges—eighteen grandees of the Swedish Academy—can read. Anyhow, literature is a matter of taste, which is why, among American writers, Pearl S. Buck was deemed worthy of the honor while Henry James was not. (The roster of literary losers, A to Z, also includes Auden, Borges, Conrad, Joyce, Kafka, Nabokov, Proust, Tolstoy, Twain, and Zola.) As for the relatively new economics prize (full name: the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel), it is neither hard nor soft, just kind of mushy—a Golden Globe, not an Oscar.

The peace prize, first given in 1901, has always been the trickiest of the lot. For the first fifty years or so the judges, a five-member committee appointed by the Norwegian parliament, almost always honored a person or an organization devoted to working, in the words of Alfred Nobel’s will, “for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”—a formula that excluded, for example, Mohandas Gandhi. After the Second World War, the judges’ definition of peace grew more capacious, producing laureates like Martin Luther King, Jr., Aung San Suu Kyi, and the Dalai Lama. But the choice has always been, as a former chairman of the judging committee wrote in 2001, “to put it bluntly, a political act.”
The chairman of the Republican National Committee would agree. He quickly fired off a fund-raising e-mail headed “Nobel Peace Prize for Awesomeness,” calling the choice proof that “the Democrats and their international leftist allies want America made subservient to the agenda of global redistribution and control.” A trifle overwrought? Perhaps. Still, to be fair to the chairman, there’s little doubt that for eight years the most prominent figure hovering over the Nobel committee’s deliberations was not any of the nominees under consideration; it was George W. Bush. Jimmy Carter richly deserved his belated prize—he is as responsible as were Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin for the thirty years’ peace between Israel and Egypt—and Al Gore, who sounded the tocsin on climate change, deserved his. But in neither case did the judges try very hard to hide their satisfaction in delivering a rebuke to Bush. This time their message was one of relief—and of hope and confidence, not just in Obama himself but in a United States that has reëmbraced, as the prize announcement put it, “that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world’s leading spokesman.”
A few hours after the news from Oslo, Obama, looking a little abashed, even a little uncomfortable, stepped up to a portable podium in the Rose Garden and spoke of the honor that had come to him so soon—too soon, even many of his admirers admit—and so unexpectedly. “Let me be clear,” he said, and went on, first acknowledging the obvious:

To be honest, I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize—men and women who’ve inspired me and inspired the entire world through their courageous pursuit of peace. But I also know that this prize reflects the kind of world that those men and women and all Americans want to build, a world that gives life to the promise of our founding documents. And I know that throughout history the Nobel Peace Prize has not just been used to honor specific achievement; it’s also been used as a means to give momentum to a set of causes. And that is why I will accept this award as a call to action, a call for all nations to confront the common challenges of the twenty-first century.

After a few more sombre words, he turned and walked back into the West Wing, there to attend another in a series of meetings on the strategy that he soon must set for the war in Afghanistan. The prize is won, but the peace, as always, is elusive.
By: The New Yorker

How to Help Stop the Spread of Germs?

2009-10-11T20:52:00.001-04:00

Photo By: James Gathany
This 2009 photograph captured a sneeze in progress, revealing the plume of salivary droplets as they are expelled in a large cone-shaped array from this man’s open mouth, thereby, dramatically illustrating the reason one needs to cover his/her mouth when coughing, or sneezing, in order to protect others from germ exposure.

How Germs Spread?
Illnesses like the flu (influenza) and colds are caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. The flu and colds usually spread from person to person when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

How to Help Stop the Spread of Germs?
Take care to:
- Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough
- Clean your hands often
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth
- Stay home when you are sick and check with a health care provider when needed
- Practice other good health habits.
CDC/ Brian Judd

As Flu Vaccine Arrives for the Season, Some Questions and Answers - NY Times

2009-10-09T23:29:00.005-04:00

The first doses of vaccine for the H1N1 2009 influenza, commonly called swine flu, began arriving at hospitals and doctors’ offices this week. But fear and confusion about the vaccine are spreading almost as quickly as the virus itself.

The earliest vaccine shipments came in the form of a nasal spray, which is now a priority for health care workers and children. The number of children who have died of the new virus climbed rapidly to 76 this week, already nearing the 88 child deaths for the entire 2007-8 flu season. A flu shot form of the vaccine is expected next week.

Web sites and talk shows are abuzz with worries that the government rushed the vaccine. The comedian Bill Maher recently told his 60,000 Twitter followers that people who took flu shots were “idiots.” Consumer Reports recently released a poll showing that only 35 percent of parents surveyed would definitely have their children vaccinated. Undecided parents said they worried that the vaccine was new and untested.

So what are the facts? Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about the new flu virus, regular seasonal flu and the two flu vaccines intended to prevent them both. Join the discussion at nytimes.com/well.

Q:
What’s the difference between the seasonal flu that occurs every winter and this new H1N1 flu virus?

A:
Seasonal flu comes back in slightly different forms each year. But the H1N1 2009 is an entirely new combination of four genetic elements: a bird flu, some human flu genes and two types of swine flu. The H1N1 2009 virus, which has spread worldwide, was surprisingly robust during the spring and summer months. Right now, about 90 percent of the circulating flu is H1N1, although seasonal flu, which typically peaks in winter, has also been detected.

Q:
What is the difference between the two flu vaccines?

A:
The H1N1 2009 vaccine contains only the novel H1N1 virus. This year’s seasonal vaccine contains three influenza viruses — one A (H3N2) virus, one regular seasonal A (H1N1) virus unrelated to the swine flu strain and one B virus.

Q:
I’ve heard that the new flu strain circulating this fall is mild. Why should I have my child vaccinated?

A:
When it became clear last spring that the pandemic H1N1 strain would not be as deadly as once feared, health officials reassured a nervous public that most H1N1 infections had been “relatively mild.” It created the false perception that H1N1 is not a life-threatening illness. While most people who get H1N1 are sick for three or four days and then recover, a recent New England Journal of Medicine study showed that among Americans hospitalized with swine flu last spring, one in four ended up in intensive care and 7 percent of them died. In the Southern Hemisphere, 14 percent of flu patients in intensive care died.

Since Aug. 30, at least 936 Americans have died of flu symptoms or flu-associated pneumonia, and it appears H1N1 2009 flu will be at least as deadly as seasonal flu, which kills about 36,000 people annually.

Q:
How is this flu season different from every other flu season?

A:
The new flu strain is preying on children and young adults and appears to have a disproportionately high fatality rate in pregnant women. Older people, typically most vulnerable to flu, appear to have some immunity. Since April, 76 children have died of H1N1, including 19 last week, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During the first four months of the outbreak, 100 pregnant women were hospitalized with the virus, and 28 died. The C.D.C. reports that 37 states now have widespread influenza activity, highly unusual this early in the season. Hospitalization rates for influenza also are higher than expected for this time of year.

Q:
Since the vaccine for H1N1 is new, how do I know it is safe?

A:
Every year, the seasonal flu vaccine is tailored to match the viruses circulating at the time, and the H1N1 vaccine was made exactly the same way.

Q:
Was the H1N1 vaccine subjected to the same testing and clinical trials as seasonal flu vaccine?

A:
The F.D.A. does not require a new round of human clinical trials to study minor changes in the flu vaccine each year. However, clinical trials were conducted on the H1N1 2009 vaccine to determine the adequate dose. In addition, because H1N1 is a pandemic, we now have more information from other countries. Of the first 39,000 Chinese to get shots, only four had side effects, including muscle cramps and headaches. “You could argue that this is better tested than seasonal flu vaccine,” said Dr. Paul A. Offit, chief of infectious diseases for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Q:
Were manufacturing shortcuts taken to rush this vaccine to market?

A:
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius has lauded the government’s quick response to the pandemic threat and the fast turnaround of the new vaccine. That has created perceptions that the vaccine was rushed. The reality is that in 2005, worries of a bird flu epidemic prompted the Bush administration to increase flu vaccine production capacity. It typically takes five to six months to make flu vaccine, and that is about how long it took to produce the H1N1 2009 vaccine. The H1N1 virus itself grows more efficiently than some past flu strains. “We have cut no corners,” Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the C.D.C. director, said at a news conference. “This flu vaccine is made as flu vaccine is made each year, by the same companies, in the same production facilities with the same procedures, with the same safety safeguards.”

Q:
How is flu vaccine made?

A:
The C.D.C. identifies and tests a viral strain, then distributes a version of it to vaccine manufacturers, who inject it into millions of eggs, where it multiplies. Then the virus is harvested, purified and developed into a vaccine.

Q:
What is the difference between the nasal spray and the flu shot?

A:
The injectable vaccine or flu shot is made from a killed influenza virus that is highly purified and broken into tiny pieces. It cannot recombine in the body to produce flu, but it can still stimulate the immune system to evoke a protective response.

The nasal vaccine, called FluMist, is made of an attenuated live virus. This is a weakened version of the virus that has been tamed in the laboratory so it cannot cause illness. (The measles and chicken pox vaccines also are made from a live attenuated virus.) The attenuated virus can multiply only in the cooler temperatures of the nasal passages, and cannot survive in the higher temperatures of the respiratory tract, said Dr. William Schaffner, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. When the vaccine is sprayed into the nose, it multiplies on the mucous membranes in the nose and throat, triggering the body’s immune response without causing any illness. Some studies suggest the nasal mist is more effective than the traditional flu shot.

FluMist is not approved for people with asthma, pregnant women or people with underlying medical problems like heart disease and diabetes.

Q:
How long after vaccination does the body develop immunity to the H1N1 2009 virus?

A:
In general, immunity to H1N1 2009 kicks in about seven to eight days after the vaccine, slightly faster than the 10 to 14 days typical of seasonal flu vaccine. However, a child below the age of 10 will need two doses of the H1N1 vaccine, spaced about a month apart, and full immunity will not occur until about a week after the final dose. “Kids get two doses because they don’t develop as high of a protective antibody response from the first dose,”

said Dr. Gregory A. Poland, an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

Q:
Can seasonal flu vaccine and H1N1 2009 vaccine be taken at the same time?

A:
It depends on the formulation. A patient can receive two flu shots or a combination of nasal spray and flu shot. But patients who want both vaccines in nasal spray form must wait at least two weeks between vaccinations so the attenuated viruses do not compete against each other.

Q:
If I’ve already had the flu this year, do I need either flu shot?

A:
Unless your case was officially confirmed by a laboratory test as H1N1 2009, there is no way to be sure you are protected. If you did have confirmed H1N1, you are still vulnerable to seasonal flu.

Q:
Can you get vaccinated against flu if you have a fever or a cold?

A:
The flu vaccine is typically not recommended for patients with any signs of illness, so that symptoms are not wrongly misdiagnosed as side effects of a flu shot.

Q:
Can people who are allergic to eggs get the flu vaccine?

A:
The vaccine typically is not given to people with egg allergy. People at high risk for flu complications may be able to work with an allergist to be desensitized so they tolerate the vaccine.

Q:
Why are pregnant women at higher risk of complications from H1N1 flu?

A:
A woman’s immune system is compromised during pregnancy. Late in the pregnancy, the fetus pushes up against the thoracic cage and decreases a woman’s lung capacity, putting her at risk for respiratory complications if she contracts flu. A New England Journal study found that pregnant women with swine flu were nine times more likely to be in intensive care.

Q:
Is flu vaccination an option for people with suppressed immune systems?

A:
A flu vaccine works by stimulating the body’s immune system to produce antibodies against the virus. A person with a suppressed immune system cannot generate an immune response and does not benefit from vaccination. This includes many cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, asthma patients who require large doses of steroids and those taking immune-suppressing drugs after an organ transplant. Patients who are immune-compromised should talk to their doctor about whether they should get a flu shot.

Q:
Do adjuvants added to flu vaccine increase risk of an autoimmune reaction?

A:
This is a myth perpetuated on some health Web sites. Although substances called adjuvants are sometimes added to vaccines to make them more effective, no flu vaccine sold in the United States, including the H1N1 2009 vaccine, contains any adjuvants.

Q:
Does the new vaccine contain the mercury compound thimerosal?

A:
Flu vaccine packaged in a multidose vial contains thimerosal, a preservative that prevents contamination of the vial during repeated use. One dose from a multiuse vial contains about 25 micrograms of mercury. By comparison, a tuna fish sandwich contains about 28 micrograms of mercury. Repeated studies have shown thimerosal to be safe. However, people who want to minimize mercury exposure can ask for a vaccine in a single-dose package, which has only trace amounts. Thimerosal is not used in the production of FluMist.

Q:
What about the severe complications associated with the 1976 swine flu vaccine?

A:
A 1976 swine flu vaccine was associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome (pronounced ghee-YAN bah-RAY), in which the body damages its own nerve cells, causing weakness and sometimes paralysis. The data on flu vaccine and Guillain-Barré syndrome are not conclusive. One study suggested the 1976 vaccine posed a 1 in 100,000 risk. Another study found flu vaccine in general carries a 1 in one million risk for Guillain-Barré syndrome. By comparison, 1 in 8,300 Americans dies of flu each year.

Q:
If I think I have H1N1 2009, should I see a doctor?

A:
Most people will recover without needing a doctor. High-risk patients should see a doctor at the onset of flu symptoms and may be treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

Top 20 worst & best lovers - source Telegraph.co.uk

2009-10-08T20:56:00.008-04:00

German men are 'world's worst lovers' with English men in second place.

German men have been voted the world's worst lovers, narrowly beating English men to the unwanted title.

A poll of 15,000 women found that Germans are considered "too smelly".

English lovers came second because they are so lazy, while men from Sweden were branded "too quick to finish" and came third.

Spanish men topped the table as the best lovers, followed by Brazilians and Italians.

The poll, carried out by global research site www.OnePoll.com, asked women from 20 countries to rate nations on their ability in bed and give reasons for their answers.

Germans were deemed to have bad body odour, Englishmen were accused of letting women do all the work, whilst Swedes were a bit too quick to finish.

Men from Holland were "too rough" between the bed covers and Americans were accused of being "too dominating" in the bedroom.

Greek men were said to be a bit too soppy.

Other countries who didn't fare well in the poll were Scotland (too loud), Turkey (too sweaty) and Wales (too selfish).

Russian men crept in at tenth place amid accusations they are too hairy for the average woman.

A spokesperson for www.OnePoll.com added: ''These results are an eye-opener for thousands of men around the world and female travellers might judge potential new lovers by looking at these results.''

WORLD'S WORST LOVERS:

1. Germany (too smelly)
2. England (too lazy)
3. Sweden (too quick)
4. Holland (too dominating)
5. America (too rough)
6. Greece (too lovey-dovey)
7. Wales (too selfish)
8. Scotland (too loud)
9. Turkey (too sweaty)
10. Russia (too hairy)

WORLD'S BEST LOVERS

1. Spain
2. Brazil
3. Italy
4. France
5. Ireland
6. South Africa
7. Australia
8. New Zealand
9. Denmark
10. Canada

HOW TO SLEEP WELL - Stanford Education

2009-10-04T23:10:00.005-04:00

Can't Sleep?

Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to sleep. Tossing and turning. Your mind is racing, going over everything that happened today. Night noises keep you awake. What can you do? There ARE things you can do! Read on and learn some new tricks to sleep well. These tips are also known as "Sleep Hygiene."

Sleep only when sleepy
This reduces the time you are awake in bed.

If you can't fall asleep within 20 minutes, get up and do something boring until you feel sleepy
Sit quietly in the dark or read the warranty on your refrigerator. Don't expose yourself to bright light while you are up. The light gives cues to your brain that it is time to wake up.

Don't take naps
This will ensure you are tired at bedtime. If you just can't make it through the day without a nap, sleep less than one hour, before 3 pm.

Get up and go to bed the same time every day
Even on weekends! When your sleep cycle has a regular rhythm, you will feel better.

Refrain from exercise at least 4 hours before bedtime
Regular exercise is recommended to help you sleep well, but the timing of the workout is important. Exercising in the morning or early afternoon will not interfere with sleep.

Develop sleep rituals
It is important to give your body cues that it is time to slow down and sleep. Listen to relaxing music, read something soothing for 15 minutes, have a cup of caffeine free tea, do relaxation exercises.

Only use your bed for sleeping
Refrain from using your bed to watch TV, pay bills, do work or reading. So when you go to bed your body knows it is time to sleep. Sex is the only exception.

Stay away from caffeine, nicotine and alcohol at least 4-6 hours before bed
Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants that interfere with your ability to fall asleep. Coffee, tea, cola, cocoa, chocolate and some prescription and non-prescription drugs contain caffeine. Cigarettes and some drugs contain nicotine. Alcohol may seem to help you sleep in the beginning as it slows brain activity, but you will end up having fragmented sleep.

Have a light snack before bed
If your stomach is too empty, that can interfere with sleep. However, if you eat a heavy meal before bedtime, that can interfere as well. Dairy products and turkey contain tryptophan, which acts as a natural sleep inducer. Tryptophan is probably why a warm glass of milk is sometimes recommended.

Take a hot bath 90 minutes before bedtime
A hot bath will raise your body temperature, but it is the drop in body temperature that may leave you feeling sleepy. Read about the study done on body temperature below.
Trouble Sleeping? Chill Out! - A press release from the journal Sleep about the significance in body temperature before sleep (http://www.stanford.edu/~dement/temp.html)

Make sure your bed and bedroom are quiet and comfortable
A hot room can be uncomfortable. A cooler room along with enough blankets to stay warm is recommended. If light in the early morning bothers you, get a blackout shade or wear a slumber mask. If noise bothers you, wear earplugs or get a "white noise" machine.

Use sunlight to set your biological clock
As soon as you get up in the morning, go outside and turn your face to the sun for 15 minutes.

Do Olympic Host Cities Ever Win? - NY Times October 2, 2009 By the Editors

2009-10-03T10:21:00.003-04:00

The International Olympic Committee on Friday awarded the 2016 Summer Games to Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian city beat Madrid, Tokyo and Chicago, despite personal appeals by President Barack Obama and the first lady, Michelle Obama, in support of their hometown.

Why are cities so eager to host the Olympics? Are there short-and long-term economic benefits to hosting the event?

Bill giving NJ Transit unlimited development rights halted - By Claire Moses/The Jersey Journal October 2, 2009

2009-10-02T23:10:00.003-04:00

Legislation that would have allowed New Jersey Transit to have full control over how it develops its property was halted, due in part to objections from Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer.

NJ Transit wants to build 45-story residential towers and a 70-story commercial buildings over the rail yard around the Hoboken train station. Zimmer, who has fought against NJ Transit's plan since it was first announced over a year ago, managed to stop the bill this week, according to a news release from her office.

According to the release, Sen. Paul Sarlo, the bill's sponsor, agreed not to go forward "until Hoboken is satisfied with its content." oing to change the character of our town," Zimmer added.

Free seasonal flu vaccination clinic for adult Hoboken residents

2009-09-25T00:23:00.005-04:00

Schedule: Thursday, October 22, 2009, 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at Assumption Hall in Hoboken University Medical Center.
Contact Info: Hoboken Health Department - 201-420-2375
Additional Info: Vaccinations will be given in Assumption Hall. Proof of residency is required.
Sponsor: The City of Hoboken in conjunction with Hoboken University Medical Center
Location: Assumption Hall at Hoboken University Medical Center
Street: 308 Willow Avenue
City: Hoboken
State: NJ
Zip: 07030
Services: Free/Handicapped/Wheelchair Accessible
Flu specific information: The vaccination is offered to the Hoboken residents only. Proof of residency is required and the age restriction for flu vaccine is Adult (18 or older)

Eight vying for Hoboken mayor - NJ.com (Thursday, September 17, 2009)

2009-09-18T11:40:00.004-04:00

Here are the people who filed nominating petitions to run for Mayor of Hoboken in November. Yesterday at 4 p.m. was the filing deadline. All of the candidates turned in at least the required 100 nominating signatures, but the names still need to be verified, said an employee at the Hudson County Clerk's Office:

1. NATHAN BRINKMAN: Co-founder of the Hoboken Republican Club.
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2. EVERTON A. WILSON: Management consultant in the financial services industry and a Ph.D candidate in information and technology management at Stevens Institute of Technology.

3. PATRICIA A. WAITERS: 47-year-old former chief of staff for Jersey City Councilwoman Willie Flood. Studying criminal justice at Hudson County Community College. She ran for City Council in the spring.

4. KIMBERLY GLATT: Resigned her position as Hoboken Municipal Court judge this week, presumably to run for office.

5. SAL DeMEO: 60-year-old retired Hoboken police officer who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2003.

6. BETH MASON: 48-year-old Second Ward councilwoman, former advertising executive and current business consultant. Former president of the New Jersey Foundation for Open Government.

7. FRANK RAIA: 58-year-old developer, former trustee of the Board of Education, briefly a councilman in the late 1980s, and a 22-year board member of the North Hudson Sewerage Authority.

8. DAWN ZIMMER: 40-year-old former communications and public relations executive, Hoboken's current acting mayor and City Council president. Was member of the steering committee of the Southwest Parks Coalition.

Ten Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System

2009-09-18T11:39:00.006-04:00

How to Build Up Your Immune System (Source – ImmuneSystemRemedies.com & eHow.com)

It is necessary to strengthen your immune system in order to meet the challenges that our body encounters on a daily basis. The good news is that you can still enjoy optimum health as long as you provide your body with the necessary tools. We can virtually heal, repair, regenerate, and restore optimal health without the use of expensive prescription drugs. A properly functioning immune system is equipped to deal with common illnesses, such as the common cold or influenza. It may also help prevent more serious illnesses like catching the swine flu H1N1 virus or cancer.

1. Eliminate all sugar and allergens from your diet.
Just a small amount of sugar has been proven to impair white blood cells up to 50% for very short periods of time. By discovering what our personal food allergies are, then eliminating or desensitizing them will help strengthen your immune system. By removing these triggers, our immune cells are strengthened in order to combat other invaders such as influenza rather than the allergen. The elimination of sugar from your diet can also strengthen/improve the immune system.

2. Eliminate or reduce exposure to dangerous toxins in your environment.
Air Pollution, smoking, cleaning products will stress your immune system with frequent exposure. Many common household cleaning products contains toxic and poisonous chemicals that are harmful to your health. There may not be much you can do with air pollution, but we can help reduce our exposure by purchasing cleaning products that are safe and non-toxic.

3. Learn how to properly deal with stress
Acute (short term) stress will positively strengthen your immune system function. On the other hand, responding wrongly to chronic (long term) stress will suppress your immune system function.

4. Regular, moderate exercise will strengthen your immune system, while intense or extreme exercise may suppress immune system function.
It appears that regular physical activity might contribute to ridding the lungs of the types of airborne bacteria and viruses that are linked to common upper respiratory tract infections, while also cleansing the body of certain carcinogens (cancer-causing cells) and waste products through increased output of urine and sweat.
An increase in blood flow associated with moderate exercise helps to circulate antibodies along with white blood cells necessary to fight infection more quickly. As a result, this provides our bodies with an early warning system to ward off potentially damaging germs. In addition, the increase in body temperative as a result of physical activity may aid in inhibiting the growth of bacteria; thus allowing the body to fight infection more effectively.
Finally, moderate exercise has been shown to reduce the secretion of stress-related hormones thought to contribute to the onset of illnesses such as the flu and the common cold, and give a temporary boost in the production of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria.

5. Sleep Helps Strengthen Your Immune System
During deep sleep, our body release potent immune-enhancing substances that strengthen your immune system function. By not allowing our body sufficient rest, the immune system will sputter, and as a result, not function at full capacity. We then are more likely to become ill with common illnesses. A healthy, deep sleep allows our body to release a significant amount of growth hormone that boost the immune system and aids in the growth and repair of the body.

6. A Body Detox Will Strengthen Your Immune System
Body cleansing is essential because our bodies need to properly eliminate the toxic build up that has formed in our intestines (colon), which may lead to sickness and disease. Our body organs and tissues must be free of toxins for the immune system to function optimally thus enabling our bodies to receive the essential nutrients our bodies need.

7. Drink plenty of Water
Water is essential for all living things and keeps our immune system operating optimally while improving the way we feel, look and live. Without sufficient amounts of water, you may experience routine fatigue, dry skin, headaches, constipation, and a decrease normal bodily function which may lead to your body unable to fight off diseases. Without water we would literally dehydrate which could result in the shutting down of vital organs and ultimately end in death.

8. Strengthen Your Immune System By Eating A Nutritious Diet
Quality food plays a major factor in keeping our cells healthy and our immune system strong. Food not only provides energy to your body, but all the nutrients that are essential for a healthy immune system.
Increase…..yogurt, ocean fish, broccoli, sea greens, ginger, fresh fruits & vegetables (especially spinach, sweet potatoes and carrots), whole grains, & cayenne pepper.

Add garlic and onions to your meals. Cooked garlic and onions retain their antibacterial qualities. These two are great immune builders and natural antibiotics. Omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish and flax oil increase the production of white blood cells that eliminate bad bacteria in the body.

9. Supplement Your Diet with Immune Boosting Herbs, Minerals, Vitamins, and other foods.
Immune System supplements are needed because our bodies cannot produce the nutrients necessary to maintain optimum health. There are many nutrients needed in order to maintain a strong immune system. It is very challenging in the world we live in to obtain sufficient nutrition with the foods available to us. They are over processed and void of many essential nutrients. Additionally, food is grown in soils that have been over-planted and saturated with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Vitamin and mineral deficiency subjects us to more diseases, aging, sickness, and the weakening of our immune system.

Find a multi-vitamin that has the following, plus the balanced A to Z concept = Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Beta carotene, Bioflavenoids, Zinc, Magnesium, and Selenium.

10. Wash Your Hands to limit the risk of "catching an infectious disease "
It may sounds simple but maintaining a high standard of personal hygiene care is one of the most effective ways of avoiding infection and keep your immune system strong.

Hudson Reporter - Reports suggest six candidates in race for Hoboken mayor

2009-09-16T12:28:00.003-04:00

Acting Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer is running to keep her office on November, but she's got competition.

Councilwoman Beth Mason is expected to announce her run on Tuesday night, and former Board of Education Pres. Frank Raia supposedly announced Monday night.

The field of candidates also will reportedly include Patricia Waiters, an ally of political consultant Gene Drayton; Republican Nathan Brinkman, and Municipal Court Judge Kimberly Glatt.

While Zimmer is said to be the front runnner, Glatt, Raia, and Mason will likely have well-funded campaigns. Glatt is the surprise candidate but was rumored as a possible candidate in the lead into last May’s mayoral election.

2009-09-11T20:02:00.003-04:00