What is Lyme Disease?

The threat of Lyme disease becomes a big concern as we spend more time outside.

Lyme disease is a bacterial illness caused by a bacterium called a “spirochete.” In the United States, the actual name of the bacterium is Borrelia burgdorferi. In Europe, another bacterium, Borrelia afzelii, also causes Lyme disease. Certain ticks found on deer harbor the bacterium in their stomachs. Lyme disease is spread by these ticks when they bite the skin, which permits the bacterium to infect the body. Lyme disease is not contagious from an affected person to someone else. Lyme disease can cause abnormalities in the skin, joints, heart, and nervous system.

Ticks are carriers of the Lyme bacterium in their stomachs. The ticks then are vectors that can transmit the bacterium to humans with a tick bite. The number of cases of the disease in an area depends on the number of ticks present and how often the ticks are infected with the bacteria. In certain areas of New York, where Lyme disease is common, over half of the ticks are infected. Lyme disease has been reported most often in the northeastern United States, but it has been reported in all 50 states, as well as China, Europe, Japan, Australia, and parts of the former Soviet Union. In the United States, it is primarily contracted in the Northeast from the states of Maine to Maryland, in the Midwest in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and in the West in Oregon and Northern California.

Sources : elev8.com

Billy the Kid photo fetches $2 million

DENVER, June 26 (UPI) -- The only known surviving original photograph of legendary outlaw Billy the Kid has sold at a Denver auction for $2 million, officials said.

The small tintype was sold Saturday to retired industrialist William Koch, 71, whose collection contains everything from Wild West memorabilia to paintings by Picasso, The Denver Post reported Sunday.

The photograph was sold during Brian Lebel's 22nd Annual Old West Show & Auction, where organizers had expected it to sell for between $300,000 and $400,000.

"I love the Old West," said Koch, who now lives in Palm Beach, Fla. "I plan on enjoying it and discreetly sharing it. I think I'll display it in a few small museums."

Koch owns handguns once owned by Frank and Jessie James and he owns a rifle that belonged to Indian fighter George Custer.

The bidding on the Kid's tintype jumped from $300,000 to $2 million in about 2 minutes, the Post said. Koch must also pay a buyer's premium of about 10 percent to the auctioneer.

"All you need is two serious bidders," collector Bob McCubbin said. "A billionaire just walked by."

The tintype is the only surviving, authenticated portrait of Billy the Kid. It shows him standing, wearing rumpled clothes with a six-shooter strapped to his waist and holding a rifle.

Sources : UPI.com

U17 World Cup Soccer News: USA U17 vs New Zealand Final Game Report

Youth Soccer News: 2011 FIFA U-17 WORLD CUP UPDATE USA Battle New Zealand Final Game Report 

The U.S. Men's National Soccer Team battled New Zealand in the 2011FIFA U17 World Cup today in Pachuca, Mexico, and as these two teams clash with good crossing and strong defense, the match remained scoreless ending in a draw.

FIFA U17 WOLRD CUP STANDINGS For Group D: Uzbekistan is on top of the table with 6 points and the USA is tied with New Zealand with 4 points each and Czech Republic finish with 3 points.

USA vs New Zealand Game Report: As fans crowded the stadium and watched the FIFA U17 World Cup on TV around the world, it was an endless series back and forth action resulting in no goals scored with both teams passing through this round.

Total Ball Control: New Zealand 51% of possession and USA 49% of possession.

Fans watched as a series of free kicks went for power and soared way over the cross bar and efforts to score went wild to the right and left.

All the players worked hard and the USA maintained the majority of the possession of the soccer ball in the first half. However, the technical accuracy was lacking to effectively use the control to score.  In the second half, the New Zealand U17 team controlled more but was equally unable to get the connection and score.

USA U17 Captain Marc Pelosi received two yellow cards and was sent off the field in the 67th minute of the match. It was almost as if the referee wanted to make an example of the team captain as he handed out the yellow for a relatively minor offense with no vicious acts.  

The first yellow card was handed out in the 25th minute to Pelosi. The second yellow card was given to New Zealand as the half hour horns were blown.

What should have been a knock out round progressed into a series of challenges that could not be successfully turned in to a clear victory.

Even as the 82^nd minute passed, the struggle for the soccer ball continued and with so much to play for in Group D, USA passed the ball with control and ease but could not get past the New Zealand’s defenses. 

USA was forced to play down with only 10 on the field for a significant amount of time in the second half, after Pelosi was sent off.  It is never easy when you have lost a man, but the team successfully kept its shape but neither U17 team maintained any real goal scoring efforts as the match progressed.

Fans became restless towards the end of the match as became apparent the game would end in a draw.  As the players passed the ball back and forth to each other without any attempt at a challenge, the referee blew his final whistle and both teams pass through.

FIFA headquarters will determine if USA places ahead of New Zealand as the game ended in a draw. 

FIRST HALF RECAP:

America had possession 56% of the time in the first half and although we had the majority of possession, the team was not been able to find the back of the net. While the USA was able to get dangerously close several times, the shots went wild. There was a lot of tension among the players and it is evident the pressure is on to win this match.

Watching these American soccer players on the pitch, it is hard to imagine they are on all so young.  U17 players can't drive, drink or even really watch a R rated movie alone. (Remember the definition states that R rated movies are suitable for those under 17 years of age only when accompanied by an adult.)  These young men represent our country with pride and dedication on the soccer field.

Going into this round of the FIFA U17 World Cup, both U17 teams were tied for the top place in Group D based on all tiebreakers making this match at Estadio Hidalgo.  Now that honor has been given up to Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan pulled off the surprise of the FIFA U-17 World Cup so far with a 2-1 victory over Czech Republic, to secure top place in Group D.

Background on today's U17 World Cup Match - it is all on the line:  After earning a 3-0 win against the Czech Republic on June 19, the U.S. fell 2-1 to Uzbekistan on June 22, but is still very much alive in the tournament. With all four teams in Group D tied on three points through two games, everything is up for grabs on Saturday. Any team that wins on Saturday will earn a place in the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico, and any team that loses might be eliminated from the competition. 

Group D Results 

Date      Match                                          Kickoff (local/ET)   Venue 

June 19 New Zealand 4, Uzbekistan 1       --                            Estadio Torreon; Torreon, Mexico

June 19 USA 3, Czech Republic 0             --                            Estadio Torreon; Torreon, Mexico

June 22 Uzbekistan 2, USA 1                    --                           Estadio Torreon; Torreon, Mexico

June 22 Czech Rep. 1, New Zealand 0      --                            Estadio Torreon; Torreon, Mexico

June 25 USA 0, New Zealand 0                                              Estadio Hidalgo; Pachuca, Mexico

June 25 Czech Republic 1, Uzbekistan 2                                 Estadio Torreon; Torreon, Mexico

Quick Hits

• Cabrera used the same starting lineup against both the Czech Republic and Uzbekistan.
• Esteban Rodriguez, Mobi Fehr and Alfred Koroma are the only players to appear in all 12 U.S. international matches in 2011.
• Nathan Smith was the only U.S. player to make his tournament debut against Uzbekistan when he came on at halftime.
• Four U.S. players are carrying yellow cards into the third group match: Joe Amon, Zach Carroll, Mobi Fehr and Tarik Salkicic. Another yellow in the match against New Zealand would mean a one-game suspension if the team advanced to the knock-out stage.
• The loss to Uzbekistan dropped the USA’s all-time record against Asian teams at this event to 5-7-3.
• The U.S. has only played a team from Oceania once before at this event, a 2-1 win against New Zealand in 1999.
• Alfred Koroma leads the U.S. with two goals scored in the first two matches. Both of his goals were scored within two minutes of him entering the game as a substitute.
• The goal scored by Uzbekistan’s Bobir Davlatov was the first allowed by U.S. goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh in a match he’s started in 2011.
• Both players on the U.S. roster born in 1995 – Paul Arriola and Kellyn Acosta – earned the start against the Czech Republic and Uzbekistan.
• Seven players representing U.S. Soccer Development Academy clubs started the opening two games.
• U.S. captain Marc Pelosi earned his 28th career cap on Tuesday, adding to his team high.
• There are 18 players on the roster who lifted the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship trophy in February.
• New Zealand’s Stephen Carmichael is second in the tournament with three goals scored (Cote d’Ivoire’s Souleymane Coulibaly has four).
• All 21 players for New Zealand are domestically based.

A LOOK AT THE U.S. ROSTER: Head coach Wilmer Cabrera named his 21-player roster on June 9, the day before the team traveled to Torreon to begin training. There are 15 players representing 14 different clubs in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, with Arsenal FC the only club to send two players to Mexico in Paul Arriola and Wade Hamilton.

U.S U-17 Men’s National Team Roster by Position 

GOALKEEPERS (3): 21-Wade Hamilton (Arsenal FC; Murrieta, Calif.), 1-Kendall McIntosh (San Jose Earthquakes Academy; Santa Rosa, Calif.), 12-Fernando Piña (Houston Dynamo; Houston, Texas) 

DEFENDERS (6): 16-Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas Academy; Plano, Texas), 4-Joe Amon (South Carolina United; Summerville, S.C.), 2-Zach Carroll (Vardar; Grand Blanch, Mich.), 6-Mobi Fehr (Tokyo Verdy 1969; Tokyo, Japan), 15-Alessandro Mion (Kendall SC; Miami, Fla.), 3-Nathan Smith (Cal Odyssey; Clovis, Calif.), 

MIDFIELDERS (8): 5-Matt Dunn (FC Cologne; Dallas, Texas), 10-Alejandro Guido (Aztecs Premier; Chula Vista, Calif.), 13-Nico Melo (Florida Rush; Kissimmee, Fla.), 11-Marc Pelosi (De Anza Force; Sunnyvale, Calif.), 8-Esteban Rodriguez (Cosmos Academy West; Palmdale, Calif.), 14-Tarik Salkicic (Strictly Soccer; Pinellas Park, Fla.), 17-Andrew Souders (Crew Soccer Academy; Amherst, Ohio), 20-Dillon Serna (Colorado Rapids Academy; Brighton, Colo.)

FORWARDS (4): 18-Paul Arriola (Arsenal FC; Chula Vista, Calif.), 7-Alfred Koroma (Solar SC; Arlington, Texas), 19-Jack McBean (Los Angeles Galaxy; Newport Beach, Calif.) 9-Mario Rodriguez (Central Aztecs; North Hollywood, Calif.)

LOTS TO PLAY FOR: All 24 teams at the FIFA U-17 World Cup have now played two matches, but only four teams have sealed a place in the Round of 16. Host Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Uruguay are the only four teams to have won both games, and each will be playing their third match to try to clinch first place in their respective groups. With the top two teams in each group plus the four best third-place teams, every team in the tournament is still mathematically alive, but the USA’s Group D is the only group where everyone still has a chance to take the top place.

IN FOCUS: New Zealand 

Head Coach: Aaron McFarland

Previous FIFA U-17 World Cups: 1997, 1999, 2007, 2009

Best Finish: Round of 16 (2009)

SHORT HISTORY VS. NZE: The U.S. and New Zealand have met only once before in this competition, that back in 1999 when New Zealand was the host. In the opening match of the tournament, Landon Donovan and Abe Thompson helped the USA to a 2-1 win in Auckland. That 1999 team was the only American side to reach the semifinals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, finishing in fourth place.

NZE’S RECENT SURGE: New Zealand entered Mexico with the hopes of building upon the success of the 2009 team that became the first Kiwi squad to ever advance to the knock-out stage of a FIFA tournament. A win or a draw against the United States would all but secure a place in the Round of 16 for the second-consecutive tournament. The 2011 event marks New Zealand’s fifth overall.

THROUGH OCEANIA: In 2009, New Zealand had to only navigate a four-team final round tournament to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, but in 2011 the road became much more difficult. It took five games in 10 days to book their ticket to Mexico, the Young All Whitesconceding just one goal along the way while scoring 15.

New Zealand Oceania Championship Results 

Date Opponent Result New Zealand Goalscorer(s) 

Jan. 10 Vanatu 5-1 W Payne, Howieson, Vale, Tuiloma, Yamamoto

Jan. 12 Fiji 1-0 W Vale

Jan. 14 American Samoa 4-0 W Wypych, Turner, Payne, Yamamoto

Jan. 16 Papua N. Guinea 3-0 W Howlett, Buswell, Payne

Jan. 18 Tahiti 2-0 W Howieson, Payne

New Zealand Roster by Position 

GOALKEEPERS (3): 1-Scott Basalaj, 20-Scott Armistad, 21-Liam Anderson

DEFENDERS (4): 2-Harshae Raniga, 4-Reece Lambert, 5-Luke Adams, 16-Bill Tuiloma

MIDFIELDERS (12): 3-Stephen Carmichael, 6-Jordan Vale, 7-Kip Colvey, 8-Rhys Jodran, 9-Tim Payne, 10-Cameron Howieson, 11-James Debenham, 12-Jesse Edge, 13-Cameron Martin, 14-Ryan Howlett, 17-Harley Tahau, 18-Calvin Opperman

FORWARDS (2): 15-Dylan Stansfield, 19-Ken Yammamoto

MCINTOSH MAKING HIS MOVE: Playing an individual position in a team sport and competing for the only spot in the starting lineup, goalkeepers have an interesting dynamic when competing for playing time. Just ask U.S. U-17 MNT goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh, who has been competing for roster spots and playing time since joining the Residency Program two years ago. Every day, he and his fellow ‘keepers – who are also his competition – train together in a small, close-knit group.

FOLLOWING IN SHORT FORM: Keep tabs on the U.S. U-17 Men’s National Team as they move through the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 140 characters or less by following us on Twitter @ussoccer_ynt.

MOVING TO PACHUCA: Stay in tune with everything happening at the team hotel and training by keeping up with the YNT Blog on ussoccer.com. You can find exclusive photos and videos as the U.S. continues their journey at the World Cup in Pachuca.

Sources : Soccernation.com

Teams Keep Focus on Offense at Top of the N.H.L. Draft

ST. PAUL — The first hour of the first round of the N.H.L. entry draft featured no big trades and only one slightly surprising selection.The top three North American skaters ranked by the league’s Central Scouting Bureau were selected 1, 2, 3. The Edmonton Oilers chose center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins from Burnaby, British Columbia, the consensus best player available, as the No. 1 pick. The Colorado Avalanche followed with left wing Gabriel Landeskog, a native of Sweden who played Junior A hockey for Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League.

Jonathan Huberdeau, a center from Quebec, went third to Florida. The Devils chose the Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson, the top-ranked European skater. The Islanders, at No. 5, bypassed four higher-rated North American skaters to choose center Ryan Strome of Ontario, who scored 106 points in 65 games for Niagara of the O.H.L. Another Swede, center Mika Zibanejad, went sixth to Ottawa.

Nugent-Hopkins said he suspected he might land in Edmonton as far back as March, when his team, Red Deer, faced the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League playoffs.

“When my name got called, it didn’t quite hit me until I got on stage and shook Steve Tambellini’s hand,” he said, referring to the Edmonton general manager and a former Islander.

Nugent-Hopkins (6 feet, 164 pounds) is known for his great vision and passing skills. He led the W.H.L. in assists (75) and was tied for third in points (106). He was the first W.H.L. player to go No. 1 since 1996, when Ottawa chose Chris Phillips of Prince Albert.

Nugent-Hopkins said he was once shy, a trait he apparently outgrew when he worked for a month blogging for NHL.com, and made the rounds of news media outlets an hour before the draft. “I can’t even describe what I’m feeling now,” he said 15 minutes after being picked.

The Philadelphia Flyers, who made two blockbuster trades on Thursday to remake their roster, landed the No. 8 overall pick, their first in the first round since 2008. They took center Sean Couturier, the son of the former N.H.L. winger Sylvain Couturier and the most valuable player of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In 2009, Couturier became the first 17- year-old to lead the Q.M.J.H.L. in scoring since Sidney Crosby in 2004-5.

Flyers General Manager Paul Holmgren acquired the selection from Columbus, along with a third-round pick and forward Jakub Voracek, for center Jeff Carter. Holmgren sent the Flyers’ captain, Michael Richards, to Los Angeles for center Brayden Schenn, who was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 draft, and right wing Wayne Simmonds.

Before the first pick was announced, the league showed a video that honored E. J. McGuire, the director of the Central Scouting Bureau, who died April 7 of a rare form of cancer.

This is the second time the draft has been held in Minnesota. The old Met Center in Bloomington, the home of the North Stars, hosted the 1989 draft.

From the draft’s inception in 1963 through 1984, it was held in various locations in Montreal, most often at the N.H.L. office or the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. It shifted arenas in 1980, beginning with the Montreal Forum. The 1987 draft at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit was the first held in the United States. With the exception of 2005, it has been held in arenas ever since.

SLAP SHOTS

The Atlanta Thrashers, who moved to Winnipeg, will be called the Winnipeg Jets, the original name of the franchise. ... Rounds 2-7 will be completed on Saturday.

Sources : NYTimes.com

3D smartphone shootout: HTC EVO 3D versus LG Thrill 4G

HTC EVO 3D considered to be its first glasses-free 3D smartphone has competition from LG Thrill 4G aka LG Optimus 3D.

Handsets from LG and HTC specification can even give a stiff competition to other upcoming smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation 4G.
The HTC EVO 3D that will be launched on Friday will be sold by Sprint while LG Thrill will go with AT&T although no specific release date has been announced for the LG smartphone. However, LG phone is expected to come out any time this summer. Both the phones will enjoy 4G support.
Here is a comparison between HTC EVO 3D 4G and LG Thrill 3D 4G:

Size:
HTC EVO 3D has a dimension of 126 x 65 x 12.1 mm and weighs 170 grams compared to LG’s thrill which will have a dimension of 128.8 x 68 x 11.9 mm and weighs 168 grams. 

Display:
Both the smartphones have 4.3-inch display but HTC’s phone has 540 x 960 pixels resolution 3D S-LCD capacitive touchscreen whereas LG’s Thrill has 480 x 800 pixels resolution 3D LCD capacitive touchscreen.

Input features:
The input features found in LG Thrill are LG 3D UI, accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate, proximity sensor for auto turn-off, gyro sensor and touch-sensitive controls. HTC EVO 3D has features like Multi-touch input method touch-sensitive controls, accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate, proximity sensor for auto turn-off, gyro sensor and HTC Sense UI.

Memory:
There is 8 GB storage, 512 MB RAM found in LG’s smartphone while HTC’s phone comes with 1 GB storage and 1 GB RAM. Both the phones will support microSD up to 32 GB.
3G:
In terms of 3G, EVO 3D will have HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps and HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps similar to LG Thrill 4G.

WLAN/Bluetooth/USB:
HTC EVO 3D has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, WiMAX 802.16 e, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot support compared to LG Thrill which has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot (possible changes in future). LG and HTC smartphone will have Bluetooth version 3.0 with A2DP and EDR along with microUSB version 2.0.

Camera:
With dual 5-megapixel 2560х1920 pixels LG’s smartphone scores over HTC phone which has 5-megapixel similar pixel camera. The other features of cameras found in these two phones are autofocus, geo-tagging , stereoscopic photos and videos but HTC’s phone features dual-LED flash as against LG’s LED flash. Both the smartphones can capture 1080p@24fps (2D) and 720p@30fps (3D) video, also there is secondary camera.

Operating system:
The operating system found in HTC’s phone is Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread) but preliminary specs of LG’s phone show it is about to feature Android OS, v2.2 (Froyo) but it is upgradable to v2.3.

Processor:
HTC’s phone trumps LG’s thrill with a faster processor as HTC EVO 3D comes with 1.2 GHz dual-core Adreno 220 GPU Qualcomm MSM8660 chipset processor compared to LG phone’s dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP4430 chipset processor.

Battery:
The battery featured in LG Thrill is Li-Ion 1500 mAh giving close to 4 hours of talk time as against HTC phone has Li-Ion 1730 mAh giving up to 7 hours 30 minutes of talk time.

Other features:
The common features found in both the smartphones are SMS threaded view, MMS, Email, Push Email, IM, HTML browser, stereo FM radio with RDS, A-GPS support, Java MIDP emulator, digital compass, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Google Talk, SNS integration, organizer, document viewer and editor, voice-memo-dial-commands and predictive text input.
A few other features found in HTC smartphone include Picasa integration, TV-out (via MHL A/V link), active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, MP3/AAC+/WAV/WMA player and MP4/Xvid/H.263/H.264/WMV player. And LG’s smartphone has HDMI port, MP4/DivX/XviD/H.264/H.263/WMV player and MP3/WAV/WMA/eAAC+ player.
Moreover, Best Buy certainly feels that HTC’s EVO 3D will be a hit when it goes on sale Friday and hence they have announced that they will open their stores early to celebrate the launch of HTC EVO 3D 4G according to press release. The HTC EVO 3D, which retails for $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement, will also be available online at bestbuy.com/mobile.
With mixed reviews and a hefty price tag of $199 from Sprint, even penny pinchers are pre-ordering the phone for a chance of getting their hands on the new 3D technology. Moreover, Wirefly has dropped the pre-order price of EVO 3D to $150, the lowest price tag for the phone from any vendor as of now.

Sources: ibTimes.com

Graves Disease – What is it and How Do You Get Graves Disease

Graves Disease

Graves Disease is a disease that does not neatly fit into any one particular category.  It is an autoimmune disorder, and an autoimmune disorder is one that causes the body’s immune system to attack itself.  If a person has Graves Disease, its antibodies (white blood cells) don’t recognize its own cells.  In other words, the immune system sees normal, healthy cells as “enemies.”  Graves Disease is the most frequent reason that young children and teenagers have hyperthyroidism.  A person with Graves Disease typically has a thyroid that is overly active, and the symptoms of the disease are dependent upon whether the hyperthyroidism that has been created is mild or aggressive/severe.

What is Graves Disease

After people are diagnosed with the illness, they invariably ask, “What is Graves Disease?”  It tends to be something that most people have never heard of.  As expressed previously, Graves Disease is an autoimmune disorder, but it can look like a lot of other health challenges.  The entertainer Missy Elliot had an enlarged goiter (neck) and it seemed her neck was always swollen.  The disease can cause mood swings, emotional imbalances, night sweats, memory loss, and severe fatigue coupled with alternating over-activity.  According to the American Medical Association, sufferers can report everything from fast heartbeat to swollen necks/enlarged goiters, intolerance to heat, over activity and severe fatigue.  Each single symptom can be treated, but it is rare that people combine all the symptoms to recognize that there is one underlying cause.  So, what is Graves Disease?  It is hereditary.  It is complex.  Graves Disease, unless caught, can impair peoples’ entire lives.

How do you Get Grave“How do you get Graves Disease?” is often the next question.  Many think this is a disease that can be caught, but the truth is that it is hereditary.  The following is symptoms should be watched in case one thinks they may suffer from it.  Pay careful attention to the first five (5) symptoms and seek medical attention:  protruding eyes, enlarged neck/goiter, frequency of defecation/diarrhea, cardiac problems, muscle weakness, hot and moist skin, nervousness or anxiety, excessive sweating at any time and especially at night, sleep problems, unexplained weight loss.  While there is no cure for Graves Disease it can be treated with medication.  Missy Elliot suffered with hair loss, fatigue, and nerve-related problems.

About Graves Disease

Graves Disease is one of those diseases with so many different symptoms that it may often for people who suffer from it to recognize that they have it.  They may think that they have an irregular heartbeat, night sweats, hyperthyroidism or a lot of fatigue for reasons they cannot understand.  The underlying issue could be Graves Disease, which frequently goes undiagnosed because each of the symptoms it causes can actually be seen as single health events.  For more information about Graves Disease, ask your local health provider.s Disease

Sources : Secaucusnewjersey.Org

Class of 2011: Avery perseveres despite living with Graves disease

ROCHESTER — Something had to be wrong. 

A well-conditioned athlete, Megan Avery was always tired. A good student, she suddenly had trouble concentrating in class. Despite a healthy appetite, she was losing weight. 

She also had a rapid pulse. At times, her heart would start racing for no reason. To the point, she found out later, where cardiac arrest was a possibility.

"It felt so weird to not be doing a lot of activity and have my heart just beating out of control," said Avery, who played two sports at Spaulding High School before graduating last weekend. "That was the scariest part."

She first noticed the symptoms during soccer season of her sophomore year. They persisted for several months and eventually produced a diagnosis of Graves disease, an autoimmune disorder that leads to overactivity of the thyroid gland.

"It's similar to some other things where the body kind of turns on itself," said Holly Avery, Megan's mom. "It was real frightening. (The doctors) were all afraid Megan might go into cardiac arrest."

Doctors immediately prescribed medication to get her heart beat under control. 

"I had to make sure I didn't overdo it and push myself too hard," Megan said.

The Red Raiders were in the midst of the lacrosse season when she was diagnosed. She not only had to stop playing, but also missed a month of school.

"Walking to class took so much energy," Megan said, "that by the time I got there I was out of breath and felt like I was going to pass out."

She experienced even more distress playing sports. 

"She looked like she was running through mud on the field," Holly said.

The disease caused her to miss two soccer seasons, including last fall after suffering a relapse the previous spring.

She was, however, able to play lacrosse this year, her first full season since the diagnosis almost two years earlier. 

"If I continued to play lacrosse without doing anything about it," Megan said, "I probably would have had a heart attack or gone into cardiac arrest just because my heart couldn't control itself and being constantly active would have been too much for it to handle.

"I don't even want to think about what could have happened if we hadn't gotten it in time," she added.

In addition to having regular checkups every couple months at Boston Children's Hospital, Megan now takes medication on a daily basis in an effort to manage the disease and regulate her thyroid gland.

"We think she blew a fuse," said Holly Avery. "We feel like she was working too hard in school trying to keep up even though she's really bright. Also, doing sports at the same time was too much for her mind and her body."

Megan lost 20 pounds over a period of 10 months. 

"It didn't help at all that I'd lost so much weight because I didn't have a lot of extra body fat to begin with," she said, "so my body was eating away at the muscle. Since your heart's a muscle it was disintegrating a little bit at a time. So bringing my heart rate up and a smaller heart than normal wasn't good."

Because of the weight loss doctors initially thought she might have an eating disorder, but other symptoms and subsequent blood tests revealed otherwise. 

Graves disease is hereditary and Megan has a family history. Her mom and grandmother both have a mild form of the disorder.

That came to light following the diagnosis.

"I had no idea what (the doctor) was talking about," said Megan, who had never heard of Graves disease. "I missed a month of school. I couldn't do anything. I'd lie on the couch all day. It felt like I was never going to get healthy and that I was never going to be able to do anything again. As I started to get better and get stronger, then I started to realize, 'I can overcome this.'" 

Doctors told Megan the thyroid gland secretes hormones that control all the functions of the body and that hers was producing too many which speeds up those functions.

"Everything is too fast," they said, "and we need to slow it down."

That wasn't an easy adjustment for Megan, who had always been so active.

"One of the sad things is a lot of people who are hyper-thyroid don't realize it," Holly said. "They have more energy than normal people. Megan was an Energizer bunny. She could go and go and go because her thyroid was going so fast.

"Now she's no longer an Energizer bunny," Holly added.

"It doesn't feel 100 percent to me," Megan said. "I was the Energizer bunny. I'll never get back to that, but compared to where I was two years ago I'm feeling really good." 

Stress and fatigue can trigger the symptoms so Megan has to closely monitor both.

"It's kind of hard getting used to a normal pace of life," Megan said. "I used to be able to go all the time and I like doing lots of things at once. So I had to limit myself and do things slower. I'm still trying to get used to that."

But it won't prevent her from playing lacrosse next year at Gordon College. 

"I've been able to balance my schedule and get it in a way that works for me and works for my body so I'm not doing too much at once," Megan said. "I've been able to stay healthy for most of this year."

The consequences could have been much worse had the condition gone undetected.

"At the time I didn't realize how serious it was," she said. "When I started getting healthier and I looked back I was like, 'Oh wow, I was really sick.' It could have been really bad."

Currently, there is no cure for Graves disease.

"You're always going to have it," Holly said, "and you're always going to have to manage it. One doctor calls her the poster child for how to manage Graves disease successfully."

Megan must now be more disciplined about her health.

"I never really thought a lot about my health before," Megan said. "It kind of made me a lot more aware of my body and listening to my body and knowing what's too much for me.

"It was awful when I was going through it," she added, "but I think it's really made me a better person. It's opened my eyes to what so many other people have to go through." 







Sources : Fosters.Com

Fans generally pleased with Utah Jazz picks

SALT LAKE CITY — As fans poured into EnergySolutions Arena in anticipation of Utah's two first-round picks in Thursday's NBA Draft, their expectations were sky high, demand for success enormous, with the margin for error paper thin.

The initial overall consensus from Jazz followers? Positive, with a feeling that things are going to improve.

The selection of Turkey's Enes Kanter was mostly expected, so the huge cheers by the big crowd were not a surprise.

Garrett Kramer from Bountiful, for one, wasn't surprised when the Jazz selected Kanter with the No. 3 pick.

"That's what I wanted them to do," Kramer said. "I heard a rumor that he can take off from two feet from the foul line and dunk it. I want to see him do that."

The 19-year-old, 6-foot-11 Kanter filled one of Utah's needs, according to Jazz fan Ned Campbell from Provo.

"I thought it was between (Kanter) and (Kentucky guard) Brandon Knight," Campbell said. "But they really needed a big man."

While Utah's first pick seemed to be easier to figure out, its selection at No. 12 is the one that gained more attention, due to the chance that local favorite Jimmer Fredette might play in his adopted home state after finishing his stellar career at BYU.

But after Fredette was taken by Milwaukee (picking for Sacramento in a three-way trade that also included Charlotte) with the No. 10 selection, those hopes went away.

Loud cheers were heard throughout EnergySolutions Arena after Fredette was selected, but those cheers of excitement were clearly tinged with disappointment.

"I would have liked him to play here, but I was happy for him to be in that situation," Campbell said. "I was afraid that he was going to slip further down the board. It will be challenging for him (in Sacramento) but I think he thrives on that pressure."

Fredette was a great uniter when it came to one of the greatest college rivalries, and he certainly won Kramer over.

"I'm a Utah Ute and I hate BYU, but I love Jimmer," he said. "I was there when he scored 47 points against us and Utah fans gave him a standing ovation. So I wanted him to stay and play here."

With Jimmer gone, most believed the Jazz would go for a guard, especially when Detroit and Charlotte picked guards Brandon Knight and Kemba Walker with the No. 8 and 9 selections, and guard Klay Thompson went to Golden State right before Utah's choice.

So while fans knew the No. 12 pick would most likely be a guard, the actual selection — Colorado's Alec Burks — was more of an unknown.

The crowd's reaction was mixed — about half boos and half cheers — and was followed up by silence, perhaps still stunned and disappointed by Jimmer's selection just two picks earlier.

"I don't know much about him, but what I've heard have been good things," Kramer said.

The unknown factor concerns Campbell, as well.

"I don't know a lot about (Burks), but I have heard that he's not as good a shooter as I would have hoped," he said.

Improvement is always on fans' minds, and going forward this year is no different.

"We're going to be really young, so hopefully someone can step up and take the leadership role," Campbell said. "There is going to be some growing pains, but it will be exciting."

Sources : DeseretNews.Com

The Longest and Shortest Celeb Marriages

Marriage is ideally meant to be an eternal bond between two people, till death do they part. Of course, these days it’s more like “till death or divorce do they part”—and that trend is only amplified in the celebrity world, where wedlock seems to go in and out of style as easily as people’s careers.
For every celebrity married couple that’s managed to weather the storm together, there’s another that’s dissolved in less time than it took for the ink to dry on the marriage license. Here, a look at some of Hollywood’s most and least successful pairings.

Most Successful
 
Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman
Perlman originally guest-starred as Danny DeVito’s girlfriend on his hit television show, Taxi. By the time she starred in her own show, Cheers, she was married to him. The two have been together since 1982 and have three children together. They’re known for their successful marriage almost as much as they are for their onscreen talent.

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick
Married twenty-one years to date, this couple continues to thrive together, despite having had some very public ups and downs. They’ve not only endured busy lifestyles, but also survived near bankruptcy following that Bernie Madoff debacle. Any couple that can power through a Ponzi scheme can only emerge stronger.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson
One of Hollywood’s current power couples, these two have been married for twenty-two years. Their union says as much about them as quality people (Hanks is universally known for being a great guy) as it does about their commitment to each other. Hanks and Wilson have two children and often collaborate behind the scenes as producers.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
It really was only death that broke these two apart: Newman and Woodward had been married fifty years when he passed away in 2008, at age eighty-three. The two met back when they were understudies for a play and married in 1958. They were Hollywood royalty in their day, had three children together, and later parlayed their good fortune into a successful food company and nonprofit organization known as Newman’s Own. Even today, the couple continues to represent the gold standard for successful marriage.

Least Successful
 
Britney Spears and Jason Alexander
This was the shortest union heard ’round the world—in 2004, these two former childhood acquaintances were wed a mere fifty-five hours before the then mega–pop star came to her senses. Their Las Vegas marriage was quickly annulled, but not before the media painted a pre-conservatorship Brit-Brit in a crazy light.

Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley
These two tumultuous lovebirds gave marriage the ol’ college try, only to see theirs fall apart in just over three months. Married in August 2002, they filed for divorce in November, citing irreconcilable differences. As Presley put it at the time, “I’m sad about this, but we shouldn’t have been married in the first place. It was a big mistake.”

Drew Barrymore and Tom Green
The funnyman and the film star toughed out their 2002 marriage for five months before calling it quits in December of that year. The sadder part is that this union was more successful than Barrymore’s previous one, to Jeremy Thomas, which lasted just thirty days.

Shannen Doherty and Ashley Hamilton
She was the bitchy outcast of Beverly Hills, 90210 fame; he was the nineteen-year-old son of George Hamilton. After a two-week courtship, the two got hitched. Alas, their whirlwind romance barely withstood five months as a marriage. Doherty wouldn’t fare much better in her second marital attempt (with Rick Salomon), which ended after just nine months. It probably didn’t help that the guy was best known for his part in the Paris Hilton sex tape scandal, but still …
Surviving the day-to-day grind of married life is challenging for any couple, let alone a celebrity one. The fact that these actors chose to enter matrimony in the first place, despite all those high divorce-rate statistics, at least speaks to their commitment to love (or, in some cases, their belief in the justice system to get them out of said commitment). Either way, we regular folks can certainly learn a lesson from their successes and mistakes.

Sources: Click Here

Tariq Anwar and others invited to join Academy membership

Los Angeles, Jun 19 (PTI) India born film editor Tariq Anwar, who received an Oscar nomination this year for ''Kings Speech'', is among the illustrious names invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
65-year-old Anwar, known for his work in films like ''American Beauty'' , ''The Good Shepherd'' and ''Revolutionary Road'' was born in Delhi and lived for a few years in Mumbai before he migrated to the UK as a child.
Today, he is considered one of the finest film editors in England and America.
The Academy has also invited 175 actors, moviemakers, executives and artists who will become associate members and will not be among those voting.
In an unprecedented gesture, documentary filmmaker Tim Hetherington, who was killed in action in Libya in April, has also been invited, the Academy said in a statement.
Hetherington had been a 2010 nominee for his film ''Restrepo'' but died prior to the Academy''s spring meetings to select new members.
Other notable names on the list include Gerard Butler, Vincent Cassel, ''Harry Potter'' star Robbie Coltrane, Brand''s Arthur co-star Jennifer Garner, Dominic Monaghan, Rooney Mara, Mila Kunis, newcomer Jennifer Lawrence, Nastassja Kinski, directors Susanne Bier, Neil Burger, Lisa Cholodenko and Tom Hooper.




Sources : News.In.Msn.com

‘Barefoot Bandit’ Colton Harris-Moore back in court

Colton Harris-Moore -- Camano Island's own "Barefoot Bandit" and international celebrity fugitive --again pleaded not guilty to a string of burglaries on Thursday.

Appearing Thursday in U.S. District Court, Harris-Moore pleaded not guilty to charges contained in a second grand jury indictment filed last month.

The case, however, may be resolved soon.

John Henry Browne, Harris-Moore's attorney, said prosecutors and the defense are "very close" to a plea deal for the Barefoot Bandit. A preliminary draft of the plea deal could be completed later Thursday.

Browne wouldn't offer details of the plea deal but said it would resolve criminal accusations against Harris-Moore in state and federal courts.

Harris-Moore, 20, is facing a slew of charges stemming from his lengthy flight from justice. The alleged plane and boat thief was arrested in the Bahamas after he crashed a stolen aircraft there in July.

Having spent his 20th birthday behind bars at the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac in January, Harris-Moore was scheduled to go on trial in July for a string of thefts across the country following his escape from a Renton group home on April 22, 2008.

After his escape, Harris-Moore developed a reputation for committing crimes while barefoot and, on at least one occasion, naked. Investigators claim he also had a taste for planes, stealing as many as five during his two years on the run.

The Camano Island youth is suspected in more than 80 crimes, including several aircraft thefts and assaults on law officers, and would likely face juries in local jurisdictions after the federal case concludes.

In a grand jury indictment handed down May 25, federal prosecutors in Seattle for the first time accused Harris-Moore of a Sept. 5, 2009, break-in at an Orcas Island bank.

Federal prosecutors also claim, in essence, that Harris-Moore should be made to forfeit any rights to his story and be barred from profiting from any sales.

“The property forfeited includes … any and all intellectual property or other proprietary rights belonging to the defendant, based upon or pertaining to any narration, description, publication, dissemination or disclosure of information relating to” the crimes charged, prosecutors said in the indictment.

Prosecutors go on to assert that Harris-Moore should give up “any profits or proceeds received in connection with any publication or dissemination of information relating to illegal conduct.”

Harris-Moore doesn't want to profit from his story, Browne said. But he does want to use any proceeds to pay restitution.

"He does not want to make a dime off of it. He thinks it's wrong. He doesn't want his family to make a dime off of it," Browne said.

The recent indictment followed on new charges filed earlier this year against Harris-Moore by county prosecutors around the state. On May 17, Island County prosecutors charged Harris-Moore with 14 theft-related counts; San Juan County prosecutors recently charged him with 16 similar counts.

The new action by the federal grand jury follows a five-count indictment filed in November accusing Harris-Moore of crimes in British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

Federal prosecutors contend Harris-Moore took a stolen .32-caliber pistol from Idaho to Washington, and carried a .22-caliber pistol while on the run in Washington. Harris-Moore is accused of stealing a plane in Idaho, flying it without a license and stealing a boat to travel from Ilwaco, Wash., on the Long Beach peninsula, to Oregon.

Harris-Moore's flight from authorities garnered him thousands of fans and nationwide media attention, to the frustration of Jenny Durkan, U.S. attorney for Western Washington.

"There is nothing in his acts to be admired, and nothing should be glorified," Durkan said following Harris-Moore's arrest. "Real people were hurt by his actions."

Harris-Moore's attorneys contend he was "scared to death" while on the run, and characterized his actions as youthful mistakes.

The young man had been in solitary confinement at the Federal Detention Center, reading National Geographic and making technical drawings of airplanes, his attorneys said. His attorneys have described him as a shy young man, unhappy with the notoriety that saw him garner significant national attention – and legions of fans – before he was arrested in the Bahamas after crashing a stolen plane near the islands.

Harris-Moore’s accommodations appeared to have changed someone; he injured his leg recently during a detention center volleyball game.

Court documents show that federal and state prosecutors and Harris-Moore’s defense team are working toward a global plea agreement that would see Harris-Moore resolve all the allegations against him.

Requesting a minor scheduling change that would still see Harris-Moore face a jury in July, prosecutors and defense attorneys previously told U.S. District Court Judge Richard Jones they needed several more weeks to pursue the negotiations.

“The parties are currently involved in settlement negotiations that may potentially resolve this case, the pending cases in Snohomish, Skagit, Island, and San Juan counties, and matters in other jurisdictions,” the attorneys told the court. “The negotiations have been meaningful and productive.”

Such an agreement would likely see Harris-Moore plead guilty to federal charges after receiving assurances from state and local prosecutors that he would either not be charged or that his plea in federal court would resolve those cases.

Sources : Seattlepi.Com

Libya Advice From Justice Department, Pentagon Lawyers Reportedly Was Overruled By Obama

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama decided he could continue the air war in Libya without congressional approval despite rulings to the contrary from Justice Department and Pentagon lawyers, according to published reports.

The president relied instead on the opinions of other senior administration lawyers that continuing U.S. participation in the air operations against the regime of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi did not constitute "hostilities," triggering the need for Congressional permission under the War Powers Resolution, the New York Times reported in its online edition Friday night.

Among those reported to support the president's action were White House counsel Robert Bauer and State Department legal adviser Harold H. Koh, the paper said. Those opposed included Pentagon General Counsel Jeh C. Johnson and acting head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel Caroline D. Krass.

One issue was reported to be whether firing missiles from drones amounted to hostilities.

Presidents can ignore the advice of the Office of Legal Counsel, but rarely do so, the newspaper reported.

The 1973 law prohibits the military from being involved in actions for more than 60 days without congressional authorization, plus a 30-day extension. The 60-day deadline passed last month with the White House saying it is in compliance with the law. The 90-day mark is Sunday.

White House spokesman Jay Carney addressed the internal debate over the resolution at his briefing Thursday.

He said "there was a robust process through which the president received the advice he relied on in determining the application" of the War Powers Resolution.

He noted the resolution has been subject to intense debate since it was first enacted in 1973.

"We are not going to get into the internal process by which the president receives legal advice," Carney said. "It should come as no surprise that there would be some disagreements, even within an administration, regarding the application of a statute that is nearly 40 years old to a unique and evolving conflict. Those disagreements are ordinary and healthy."

Sources : Huffingtonpost.Com