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Employee Information
Information for county employees, volunteers & contractors
All county employees are required by law to complete online training on the conflict of interest law every two years.
The link to access the program for county employees is: www.stateprog.eth.state.ma.us
- You need to complete the State Ethics Commission's new conflict of interest law online training program by April 5, 2013.
- The training programs can be completed on any work, home or publicly available computer with internet access.
- If you access the online program using the above link or through the Ethics Commission's website, you will have to print out a completion certificate as evidence that you have complied with the online training requirement.
- The programs were designed to work with the Internet Explorer web browser. While the programs will work with other browsers, such as Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome, some features may not work or display correctly.
- The programs are optimized to run on Internet Explorer at 100% view. To adjust your view settings, go to the toolbar at the upper left-hand side of the browser page, select "View" and then select "Zoom" from the drop-down menu and select 100%.
- Pop-up blockers should be disabled.
- The "Options" and "Help" menus appear on every page throughout the training and provide access to helpful resources, such as accessibility information, the programs' scripts and a glossary of terms. They are located near the top right of the online training program screen.
- If the video does not play on your computer, please verify that you have the Adobe Flash Player plug-in (version 10 or higher) downloaded to your computer. Please refer to the System Requirements document by clicking the "Help" menu tab, then clicking "System Requirements" located near the top right of the online training program screen.
- The programs should take about an hour to complete. If at any time during the program your browser has trouble loading a page, use your refresh button. If you have to restart the program, use the table of contents on the left-hand column of the page and click on the "Lesson" to return to your place.
- If you have difficulty following the audio portions of the program, you can click the "Script" menu tab, located next to the "Contents" menu tab, on the left column of the program screen. In addition, you may view and print the entire course script by clicking the "Options" menu tab and then clicking "View Script."
- At the end of each training program, there are two 10-question course assessments. You should choose the one appropriate course assessment depending on whether you are an:
- Elected State or County Official or
- Appointed State or County Employee (choose one)
- After you complete the appropriate course assessment, follow the prompts on the screen for instructions on printing your completion certificate or otherwise notifying your employer that you completed the program.
- Be sure to submit the completion certificate to your the County Manager's Office, and keep a copy for your records


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What Is Third-Party Certification?
Third-party certification means that an independent organization has reviewed the manufacturing process of a product and has independently determined that the final product complies with specific standards for safety, quality or performance. This review typically includes comprehensive formulation/material reviews, testing and facility inspections. Most certified products bear the certifier's mark on their packaging to help consumers and other buyers make educated purchasing decisions.
NSF Certification
Recognized by regulatory agencies at the local, state, federal and international level, NSF certification demonstrates that a product complies with all standard requirements. NSF conducts periodic facility audits and product testing to verify that the product continues to comply with the standard. See the complete NSF product listings.
NSF's programs include testing and certifying drinking water treatment products and water filters, commercial foodservice equipment and a wide array of consumer products such as bottled water, nutritional supplements, private label goods, personal care items and home appliances (washers, dryers and dishwashers).
Why Do Companies Seek NSF Certification?
Independent, third-party testing and certification through NSF helps organizations:
- Demonstrate compliance with national or international standards and regulations
- Demonstrate independent validation and verification of their commitment to safety and quality
- Increase credibility and acceptance with retailers, consumers and regulators
- Benefit from enhanced product quality and safety

subset: commoncrawl


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Promote Growth of Manufacturing Activities, No Matter Who Owns It: Arun Maira
Saint-Gobain to acquire Electrotherm's ductile pipes division for Rs 9.5bn
Powergrid and RINL sign MOU for Tower Manufacturing JV
QuEST Global inaugurates Offshore Design Centre for Siemens in Bangalore
BHEL striving to improve cost competitiveness and quality to attain target
Promote Growth of Manufacturing Activities, No Matter Who Owns It: Arun Maira
Written by Anand
Friday, 16 December 2011
New Delhi: In India growth of manufacturing activities need to be promoted, no matter who owns it, whether an Indian or a foreigner, said Arun Maira, Member, Planning Commission.
He said that the manufacturing industry should set a goal of creating 100 million jobs in the sector out of the targeted 250 million jobs in the economy by 2022. "Industrialization is a process of learning complexities," he said, adding that besides tackling infrastructural bottlenecks and bureaucratic hurdles we also need to create space for nurturing innovation, enterprise and competition in the process of growth.
Read more...
Saint-Gobain to acquire Electrotherm's ductile pipes division for Rs 9.5bn
Written by Vijay
Friday, 16 December 2011
Mumbai: The Pipe division of Saint-Gobain Construction Products Sector has entered into an agreement for the acquisition of the ductile iron pipe division of the Electrotherm (India) Limited. The division has two production sites in the states of Gujarat and Karnataka.
Saint-Gobain Construction Products Sector will acquire the equity stake of an Indian subsidiary of Electrotherm (India) Limited, for an equity value of INR 9.5 billion (around EUR 135 million). The finalization of this acquisition is subject to antitrust clearance in India.
Read more...
Powergrid and RINL sign MOU for Tower Manufacturing JV
Written by Viswanath
Friday, 16 December 2011
New Delhi: Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (Powergrid) has signed an MoU with Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL) to set up a Joint Venture Company for manufacturing of Transmission Line Towers and Tower Parts including Research and Development of new high end products. The MoU was signed by Mr. R. N. Nayak, CMD, Powergrid and Mr. A.P Choudhary, Chairman-cum-Managing Director of RINL.
Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited – Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (RINL-VSP), a Navratna company popularly known as Vizag Steel, has an annual capacity of 3 million tonne of liquid steel and a turnover of over Rs. 11,500 Cr.
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QuEST Global inaugurates Offshore Design Centre for Siemens in Bangalore
Written by Arjun
Friday, 16 December 2011
Bangalore: QuEST Global Engineering inaugurated the Siemens Offshore Design Centre at its Bangalore facility. This follows a multiyear agreement signed by QuEST with Siemens AG to provide engineering services to all of its divisions worldwide. QuEST expects the offshore design center to scale to over 300 engineers over the period of next three years.
As a Worldwide Engineering Partner of Siemens AG in Europe, US & Asia, QuEST Global will be offering solutions ranging from concept design, detailed performance assessment & manufacturing engineering.
Read more...
BHEL striving to improve cost competitiveness and quality to attain target
Written by Anand
Friday, 16 December 2011
New Delhi: Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is striving to improve its cost competitiveness and quality and has planned to attain the capacity to manufacture 20,000 MW power equipment by March, 2012, said Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Shri Praful Patel.
BHEL has adopted European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) model of business excellence apart from obtaining ISO (International Organization for Standardization) accreditation for all major Units of the Company.
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In time, Mark Mastrov and Jim Rowley may build their still relatively nascent New Evolution Fitness Co. (NEFC) to a level that rivals their former company, 24 Hour Fitness.
Mastrov, the founder of 24 Hour Fitness, and Rowley, a former division president at 24 Hour, have made a big splash in the fitness industry with NEFC. Earlier this year, the Lafayette, CA-based company announced a partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to begin a string of clubs around the country.
Then in May, NEFC announced it planned to purchase Crunch, New York, from bankruptcy, a transaction that was completed in late August. The company teamed with private equity firm Angelo, Gordon & Co. for a purchase price of approximately $40 million.
Including a less publicized investment with a nationwide yoga chain called Yoga Works, NEFC quickly has added three brands to its stable. Three's not a crowd for Mastrov and Rowley, however.
"This is just a small sampling of what we're up to," says Mastrov, who writes the On the Mark column for Club Industry and is a member of the magazine's advisory board.
No matter how many brands NEFC accumulates over the years, Mastrov and Rowley always will be associated with 24 Hour. That's especially true of Mastrov, who sold the company in 2005 to Forstmann, Little & Co. for $1.6 billion. Mastrov initially stayed on as chairman of the board, but he left in January 2008 in a wave of executive departures.
Time has moved on, and so has Mastrov, who founded 24 Hour in 1983.
"I don't know that I've spent much time worrying about it or thinking about it," Mastrov says about leaving 24 Hour. "I had a beautiful 25-year run there. I had a hell of a sale at the end of the run and made a lot of people wealthy. The new buyer came in and wanted to run a different play, and I figured, hey, time for me to go out and do some other things. I had no non-compete [clauses] and could do what I wanted to do. I wish them well. I'm focused on what we're doing."
Mastrov knows the history of the fitness club business and understands he's not alone when it comes to change.
"If you look at our industry as an example," Mastrov says, "every great leader that has built any brand of worth in this industry eventually has moved on at some point, whether you want to talk about Don Wildman or Ray Wilson or Rudy Smith or Jack LaLanne or whomever. At some point, somebody else comes in. Younger, hungrier, brighter people get involved, and they try to go down their path. Whether they can succeed to the level you did or top what you once did, that will be seen in time."
Rowley, the north division president at 24 Hour, resigned in April 2008 to pursue other opportunities, mainly, NEFC. He had spent 17 years at 24 Hour. Like Mastrov, Rowley has no regrets about leaving.
"Some level of my fitness legacy will always be associated with 24 Hour Fitness," Rowley says. "I created a lot of elements that are still associated with how they practice their operations there. I look forward. I don't look back. I have a great deal of respect for what we did at 24 Hour Fitness as a team. I'm still connected to a lot of people that both helped me develop at 24 Hour Fitness and [people] I'd like to think that I had a hand in developing there that remain there. We wish that company a great deal of success. I personally look at that company with pride."
With the Crunch acquisition, Mastrov became the chairman of the company while Rowley is its new vice chairman and CEO, replacing Tim Miller. For years, any news associated with 24 Hour had Mastrov's name on it while Rowley remained in the background. Now, as CEO of Crunch and with the UFC venture, Rowley will step into a bright spotlight. It's a role he doesn't mind.
"I don't see it as a particular challenge," Rowley says. "It will be fun and allow me to extend my skill sets outside of leading NEFC and our other brands. I'm not much of a spotlight guy — Mark isn't either. The spotlight finds him. In my last role at 24 Hour Fitness, I had 225 clubs, $750 million in revenue and nearly 8,000 employees. To have 19 clubs at Crunch,to me, is rewarding. It keeps me very close to the business that I love."
Angelo Gordon, along with Marc Tascher, a co-founder of Town Sports International, bought Crunch from Bally Total Fitness for $45 million in 2005. (Bally bought Crunch from founder Doug Levine for $90 million in 2001.) Before the NEFC acquisition of Crunch, Angelo Gordon had already retrofitted most of the Crunch clubs, Mastrov says, allowing NEFC to direct its expenditures in other areas.
"Pretty much all of [the clubs] are in very good condition, along with brand new equipment," Mastrov says. "The portfolio looks really good right now. There isn't any big plan to come in and put additional capital to work. Most of the capital will probably go into new locations. The company itself is performing extremely well. It is profitable on a standalone basis. It is debt-free now with a tremendous amount of cash on the balance sheet."
For the time being, Mastrov and Rowley plan on keeping the irreverence for which Crunch has become known. Actually, that was one of the attractions of Crunch, known for things such as pole dancing classes and live disc jockey sets.
"Both Mark and I had had some admiration for Crunch and what they've been able to do in terms of developing their brand recognition from a small footprint," Rowley says. "I had an opportunity to compete against Crunch [at 24 Hour], and even through competition, had great admiration for the brand and its uniqueness."
Mastrov adds: "We've known Doug Levine for a long time. I've had the opportunity to sit down with Doug twice in the last six months to pick his brain and get his take on how he built the brand and where he found success. I had a chance also to sit down with [former Bally CEO] Lee Hillman, who bought the brand from Doug, and get his take on what he thought were the best ideas that they were going to leverage at Bally that didn't come to fruition for a whole bunch of reasons after he left. I've also talked to Tim Miller. We're going to try and continue to build off of the legend that Crunch built, which is that irreverence, inclusiveness, cool, hip, kind of funky brand that it is."
The Crunch company is a pared-down version of its former self, emerging from bankruptcy with 18 clubs compared to the 28 clubs it had before entering Chapter 11. Crunch also went from six major markets to four: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami. The company closed clubs in Chicago and Atlanta. Expansion back into these two markets isn't likely, Mastrov and Rowley say.
"We've got a big appetite," Rowley says. "We've got a lot of exploration that's happened over the course of the last six months. We have interest in operating outside of those [four] markets as well, but the foundation to Crunch's success in the future will be those four core markets."
Crunch was scheduled to open its newest club this month in Danville, CA, in the San Francisco area. Mastrov says NEFC will probably double the number of Crunch clubs over the next year. Exactly how many Crunch clubs will open remains to be seen.
"Sit back and watch," Rowley says. "You'll see Crunch continue to embrace its irreverence and continue to attract new people to fitness."
Working at NEFC has allowed both Mastrov and Rowley more freedom than they had at 24 Hour. They don't have the same concerns they had at 24 Hour, which included more than 400 clubs, more than 3 million members and many attorneys, accountants and board members. Flexible hours have allowed each more family time. Mastrov has four children ranging in age from 18 months to 8 years. Rowley has three children between the ages of 8 and 13.
"Mark and I have found a way to pace ourselves both professionally and personally," Rowley says. "Our company is free flowing. It's creative. There's no hierarchy at NEFC. Everybody is included. It's the most liberating year that I've ever experienced in my life, and we had a great run at 24 Hour Fitness."
Mastrov still hears jokes from colleagues about why he went back into the fitness business.
"A lot of people say, 'Hey, with all the money you made from your exit at 24 Hour, what the hell are you working again for? Why don't you just enjoy life?'" Mastrov says. "My view is, I am. The quality of life that I have now is greater than it's ever been, and I'm happier than I've ever been. The reality is, there are a lot of things that one can do in life. I love the fitness business. It's a lot of fun. It's what I know. It's all I know. It's pretty much all I can do."
For interviews with other executives in the fitness industry, visit the Executive Insights section of the Web site at www.clubindustry.com/executive.


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Video games industry analysts are fond of comparing the games industry with film: both are splashy, highly visual and visceral, both cost a lot to create/market/distribute, and both compete for people's entertainment dollars and time. When news hit a few years ago that the video game industry had overtaken the film industry in revenues, we gleefully paraded that news through the streets like we had an ousted dictator's head on a stick. But with digital distribution and a temporary disruption in the games publishing ecosystem, business has changed dramatically. Those looking to get ahead would be far better served to study publishing, rather than film, to inform a sound strategy.
Let's look … in a bookOH GOD WHY IS HE READING THAT?
A Year on Your Rear
With a staunch amount of dedication and a very comfy couch, you can conceivably watch an entire year's film output. Wikipedia lists the major film releases of 2012 at about two hundred and sixty flicks. Games are a different story. As of Q4 2012, there were over twelve thousand games in the Apple App Store alone. Divide that by the three years the store had existed, and that's a rate of about four thousand games released per year (although, to be fair, annual App Store growth is not so evenly distributed). Movies may average two hours, but how long does a game take to play? AAA titles can run anywhere from twenty to one hundred hours, and many mobile titles are designed for endless play. If Joe Average Canadian were to spend his 5.5 daily leisure hours exclusively playing iOS games for the entire year, he could only spend half an hour on each one.
And tell me: who could spend only half an hour on Trucker Parking 3D?
That's four thousand games accounted for, but the iOS App Store is only one unique marketplace of many; add to that the yearly throughput of Steam, Android, the three home consoles and the wider PC market, and i wouldn't be surprised if the total number of games in existence after these forty years outnumbered the total number of films released in the past century. While Joe Average Canadian could watch all the movies released in a year, he could never, ever play all the games.
(but not for lack of trying)
Getting Lit
Joe Average Canadian would have even more trouble finding the time to read all of the books released in a year. Wikipedia claims that the total number of books released in a single year in the United States alone is 328,259! Books are priced similarly to games, with big-ticket bestselling hardcover tomes coming in at $40-50, down to cheapie legacy or fan fiction one-offs being digitally distributed for a buck. Books require a similar time commitment as games; the the amount of time i spent playing Skyrim is probably on par with the time i spent trying to muscle through George R. R. Martin's Game of Holy Shit – 924 Pages??. And owing to mobile devices, games have been freed from their specialized locations; just as film escaped theatres to living rooms, so too did games escape arcades to those same living rooms, and now travel with us everywhere in our pockets. We've long been able to enjoy a book under a tree in some isolated meadow, and now we can enjoy video games in the same setting.
Uh … yes. An isolated meadow. (shifty eyes)
Lately, i've been freaked out about the overwhelming number of games that have been flooding the marketplace. The Internet, which brought digital distribution, has been our printing press. Fairly newbie-friendly development tools like Flash, GameMaker and Unity are our desktop publishing. Open stores like XBLiG, the iOS App Store and the Android Marketplace are our print-on-demand.
Episodic Nancy Drew games are our episodic Nancy Drew novels.
Teeth clenched and hair turning rapidly white from stress, i've been repeating the mantra "nobody needs another video game". And frankly, they don't. We have enough video games to keep us busy for a good long time. The inevitable response to my Chicken Littling has been to say "well the world doesn't need another movie, and people keep making and watching movies". But that's not the best comparison. For a true understanding of what's happening with games, we need to look at books. At an output of over a quarter of a million new books a year from the US, people really don't need another book. But we still buy books.
The reason why you buy one book, and read an Amazon review summary of another, is likely the same reason why you play one game, and watch a YouTube Let's Play video of another. Figuring out that reason could be one secret to increased success selling games.
Any indie game developer, then, would be well-served to closely study how the book publishing industry functions if he wants to make a go of things. What role do publishers play? Some may give authors advances against royalties (our version of project-level development funding), but i assume that many more book publishers serve as marketing machines, ensuring that book stores and marketplaces stock your title, and that your title gets seen above all others.
How do book stores help customers find what they're looking for, amidst a fresh dumping of 328,259 new titles a year? Market intelligence on book stores states that the vast number of customers browsing through a physical store don't know what they're looking for. A book store's shelf layouts, end aisles promotions, search kiosks and friendly staff serve to ensure customers leave happy, with interesting products in-hand.
Book store staff went from selling content, to selling e-readers that can read content. Perhaps the role of an Apple Store staffer will transition from selling content readers like iPhones and iPads, to selling content like apps and games.
Games may look like movies, but they act like books. And increasingly, the games industry more closely resembles book publishing than it does the film industry. What lessons can we learn from books, with their dramatically more dire supply and demand problem, that we can apply to our own industry?
Don't ask me. i'm only a game developer.


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I had a blast being part of the Week of Collaboration over on the Modern Quilt Guild blog. Not only did I get to kick the week off with my beloved Sew Connected quilt, but I was tickled to see that I personally participated in and contributed to several of the virtual quilting bee quilts and tutorials featured throughout the week. Then, I closed out the week with a new original project idea, which I call my Collaborate & Commemorate Mini Quilt / Signature Block pattern.
To wrap up our week of collaboration, I'm sharing my idea to make a commemorative mini quilt where your fellow group members can each write their name and hometown, as well as dates and any other memories, funny stories, or notable quotables from the journey you took together. Or, you can piece this as a large block into the backing of your quilt for a lasting record of who you worked with to create the quilt together.


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More private companies than public make the Top Workplaces list
How differently do public and private companies treat their employees?
In both cases, much depends on the culture of the workplace, which is often set by the tone of the owner and management. The level of transparency, the ease of communications, the willingness of managers to listen to employee concerns are all factors that make for a cohesive, smoothly-running ship.
Yet, for public companies, the shareholders must be considered as much as the workers, their views present in nearly every decision, large or small. For privately owned firms, such decisions are made by the company alone.
In many cases, this outside scrutiny benefits public companies, making them consider internal communications more carefully and value transparency, said David Lewis, CEO of OperationsInc. Lewis' firm, a private human resources consultancy, was ranked No. 7 among the small companies on the Top Workplaces list. What's seen as good for the shareholders, Lewis said, is also viewed as good for the employees.
"Public companies are far more interested and engaged in creating a positive environment for employees, which translates as a positive environment for shareholders," Lewis said. "With private companies, it's certainly much more laid back, there's certainly less of a concern about how information could be used by outsiders. It just changed the dynamic. Communication can be freer or more open, but some small businesses do a terrible job of communicating with employees, even if they have the free reign to do so. On the public side, communication can make or break whether a company is doing well."
Clear, accessible communication, however, is just what makes The McIntyre Group such a successful place for its employees, according to Diana Burns Derivan, the company's vice president of human resources. The privately owned staffing agency joins OperationsInc on the list of top small companies coming in No. 12, a fact that doesn't surprise Derivan based on the environment she's experienced for the past 18 years at the company. McIntyre Group finds ways to promote camaraderie among its staff, like drawing up a gathering to celebrate the 27-year milestone last week, or holding chili cook-offs during football season for the staff. In a company that deals with getting to know people, Derivan said, building personal connections and concise communication becomes very important.
"I'd say the accessibility of managers and top leaders of the company and the visibility of the top leaders are key factors," Derivan. "We have a very open-door policy. Our size obviously plays a role in that: we're a small company, But if you have an owner and you understand that owner is extremely invested in the business, it's very personal. I think that filters to down all aspects of the business. There's a lot of transparency."
Of the 35 companies that landed in the ranking, only four are publicly owned. This is likely an indication of the nature of industries in southwestern Connecticut, according to Mary Ann Gontin, managing partner for OI Partners in Danbury.
Gontin also noted that private companies in the area are often more acutely aware of their connections to the community, just as public companies are aware of their shareholders' interests.
"Well-run private companies realize the community can be their customers or future employees," Gontin said. "But some private companies have the `who cares?' attitude, so it depends on the company. Many private companies are concerned about their relation to the public. But public companies are so concerned about stockholders finding out if there's a problem. At the end of the day, though, whatever happy working for, public or private, comes down to what you're doing and who you're working for."
Lewis, as head of a 42-person private firm, says that he tries to keep the needs of his employees foremost in his mind. This can manifest itself in a variety of ways, from making work hours flexible to offering free breakfast or lunch to allowing jeans to be worn around the office.
"I think without the culture we have, we would not be nearly as successful as we are," Lewis said. Our success is completely tied to our employees. They like coming to work every day. It's not because we give them anything that's so unique or different, but all of the factors we give our employees contribute to their success."
Kimberly Clark, the No. 5 large company named as a Top Workplace, is a sprawling public company with 48,000 U.S. employees, 350 of which are based in the area. As the consumer goods manufacturer behind household name brands like Scott Tissue, Cottonelle and Kleenex, Kimberly Clark could feel like a big, impersonal corporate machine, but that's not how Gary Wright, manager of the company's New Milford-based mill, characterizes his employer. Wright also argues that he's noticed a bigger difference between the way small and large companies are ran than public versus private ones. In fact, Wright suggested that Kimberly Clark is "the big company that doesn't know it is one." Kimberly Clark takes into account its connection to the community, Wright said, often in very poignant ways. Following the Newtown school shooting on Dec. 14 last year, the company sent truckloads of Kleenex tissues to churches and grief centers in the community. It also went out of its way to provide solace for employees who were distressed by the event, Wright said.
"When people come to work here, if they last past the first year, they generally retire here," Wright said. "I think that says a lot about the culture and the work experience you have. When you want your kids to grow up and work in the same place you did, that says a lot."


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Maybe there is a link with what I found yesterday about Joseph Arthur Combe and these pictures that were scanned by Robin…
The obituary said something about Standard Tire Company and Combe Brothers, Inc.
He was a local businessman for more than thirty years as a partner in the Standard Tire Company and Combe Brothers, Inc., both located in Middletown.
Harry Bleau is on the left and Louis Joseph Combe is on the right.
Look at this picture.
Look closer…
I think we are getting somewhere…
I believe the man on the far right is Joseph Arthur Combe… Or is he the one on the far left?
You might be also interested in learning more about Harry Bleau.
Harry Bleau is on the left, but I think his real name is Henry Alphonse Bleau.
Freida Bleau, Harry's wife


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"In general, a whole-plant count average of 0.75 to 1.0 beetle per plant is suggested as a density that could lead to economic infestations of larvae the following season," said Mike Gray, U of I Extension entomologist. "When producers experience these densities in their fields, they are encouraged to rotate to soybeans the following season or consider the use of a Bt hybrid or a soil insecticide at-planting."
Gray added that the whole-plant count threshold was dropped to 0.5 beetle per plant in first-year corn because a greater percentage of the adults were females and likely to lay eggs in the sampled field.
In the most recent survey, only two counties had densities that exceeded (McLean, 0.81 beetle per plant) or approached (Lee, 0.64 beetle per plant) the 0.75 beetle per plant threshold. No western corn rootworm adults were found in the cornfields sampled in southern Illinois.
Densities of adults also were very low throughout central Illinois. In Knox and Fulton counties, no western corn rootworm adults were discovered. These counties are historically known as "good" candidates for economic rootworm injury.
Where have the western corn rootworm adults gone?
Gray said several factors could exist including saturated soils in late-May and early-June, during the springs of 2009 and 2010, increasing popularity of Bt rootworm hybrids, and intense use of fungicide/insecticide tank mixes broadcast in both corn and soybean fields.
Gray's team plans to conduct a second round of surveys in mid-August. In addition to the low densities of western corn rootworm adults, his observations within Bureau, Fulton, Knox, Lee, Warren, and Whiteside counties revealed very low densities of other insect species as well.
U of I Department of Crop Sciences researchers Ron Estes, Andy Morehouse and Nick Tinsley led the survey teams.
For more information, read The Bulletin at http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu/.


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Bloggers are storming Jefferson County with their anger and disbelief over the arrest in January of a former Fort Drum soldier because he had in his car an empty "large capacity ammunition feeding device."
The shower of criticism, which takes direct aim at the sheriff's and district attorney's offices, is fueling a defense fund for Nathan H. Haddad, 32, that at the latest report had grown to more than $34,500.
His brother, Michael Haddad, Jamestown, who spearheaded the show of support, has set a $100,000 goal.
Michael Haddad could not be reached Friday for comment, but in a blog he wrote, "The purpose of this fund was to be able to provide a vigorous, tenacious and viable defense for an honorable man who served his country and is now a victim of a government that has taken routine actions and criminalized them."
Nathan Haddad was arrested on the evening of Jan. 6 in the town of LeRay by a Jefferson County sheriff's deputy on five felony counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He did not possess weapons or ammunition in his car, but had five 30-round AR-15 magazines for ammunition. He was not jailed, but awaits grand jury action on charges that, if he is convicted, could bring him a prison sentence.
One of the early bloggers who took up Mr. Haddad's cause alleged that he was being charged under New York's recently legislated gun laws, which were passed in reaction to the Newtown, Conn., school massacre, but were not yet in effect.
Chief Assistant District Attorney Kristyna S. Mills said Mr. Haddad is cited under a 1994 section of the state penal law, which reads, in part, "possesses a large capacity ammunition feeding device." The paragraph does not specify that the device must be loaded to justify the charge.
Mrs. Mills said no traffic charges were filed against Mr. Haddad. She declined to comment about what prompted the traffic stop or to discuss merits of the case. Sheriff John P. Burns refused to provide any background information about the arrest.
Mr. Haddad was discharged from the Army in October 2010. During a military career that spanned more than a decade, he served four deployments, with service in Iraq. His Army service was brought to an end by a shoulder injury he suffered during special forces training in South Korea.
Michael Haddad and some of the bloggers who have joined the cause compared the former soldier's situation to the suggestion that David Gregory of NBC could be criminally prosecuted because he displayed an empty high-capacity gun magazine during a "Meet the Press" interview in December. District of Columbia Attorney General Irvin Nathan declined to prosecute, reasoning that doing so "would not promote public safety."
T.L. Davis, author of the book "The Constitutionalist," in which he explores the rights guaranteed Americans in the Constitution, blogged, "The case of Nathan Haddad should boil the blood of any good American. ... This is why, even though one is a law-abiding citizen, never talk to police officers and never give them permission to search your vehicle without a warrant describing in detail the area to be searched and the things to be seized."
The Davis blog issued a challenge to the Jefferson County district attorney's office: "Let's see if Nathan Haddad is afforded the same type of justice that a white, rich, liberal with a television news program can expect."


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Even in Marin, people are stocking up on ammo
Big 5 is a sporting chain that spreads across the 12 western states. It has a couple of stores in Marin County. I went into one a few days ago and saw this notice posted on the front door:
If you're reading this on a small screen it says:
Due to unprecedented demand for ammunition, we are limiting sales to five (5) boxes of ammunition per SKU per customer, excluding Game and Target Shot Shells.
This limit will help us accommodate more customers with the limited amounts of ammunition currently available.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience and understanding in this matter.
Others have noticed the run on ammunition. At Power Line, John Hinderaker calls Obama the "Ammo Salesman". Jokingly, he refers to Obama's unlikely claim that he's been shooting skeet like crazy up at Camp David to explain the ammo shortage. More seriously, though, Hinderaker adds that "There is something seriously wrong when Americans have to stand in line to buy ammo."
One of the things that goes with shortages is price increases. It occurred to me, therefore, that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has suggested that banks refuse to loan money to gun manufacturers, has it (per usual) bass ackwards. At this rate, those who manufacture guns and ammo are going to find themselves a whole lot richer than the banks — and more power to them. (Although I hope that their civic spirit prevents them from price gouging and encourages them, instead, to use any excess profits to further support the Second Amendment.)


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Ben Secino sai punkinpureman ollessaan vain 18 kuukauden ikäinen. Lääkärit eivät pitäneet asiaa merkittävänä. Ben oli v.2008 neljännellä luokalla kun hänen silmänsä alkoivat väristä, hänellä oli ongelmia koulunkäynnissä, päänsärkyä ja neurologisia ongelmia. Maaliskuussa hän ei kyennyt laskemaan kolmeen, hänellä oli kävelyongelmia, valoherkkyyttä, lihasheikkoutta, uupumusta ja kovia kipuja. Perhe vei lasta lääkäriltä toiselle mutta kukaan ei kyennyt auttamaan. Oireiden väitettiin olevan psyykkisiä.
Yksi Benin tapaamista monista ammattilaisista, psykologi Shelia Statlander, oli tehnyt luettelon Borrelioosin oireista. Secinot huomasivat Benin oireiden sopivan lähes jokaiseen oireeseen. Ben vietiin sellaisen lääkärin vastaanotolle joka hoitaa Borrelioosia suurilla, pitkäaikaisilla antibiooteilla. Borrelioosin hoito on pitkäaikaista. Benin tila on vähitellen palautumassa hoitojen avulla ennalleen. Monet kroonista Borrelioosia sairastavat taistelevat tautia vastaan yhdistämällä erilaisia lääkkeitä ja lääkkeettömiä hoitoja kuten dieetti, kuntoilu, vaihtoehtoiset hoidot jne. Tuhannet kroonista Borrelioosia sairastavat jakavat netissä ja sähköpostitse kokemuksiaan lääkäreistä, taudista ja hoidoista. Tuhannet ovat ottaneet kokemustensa jälkeen vastuun omasta hoidostaan ja monet ovat löytäneet menetelmän parantaa itsensä.
Jan Dooley sai punkinpureman 10v sitten golf-kentältä. Lääkärien mukaan kyseessä on krooninen väsymysoireyhtymä, Parkinsonin tauti, MS-tauti tai menopaussi. Aviopuolison kuoleman jälkeen kipeiden nivelten, muistihäiriöiden ja kävelyvaikeuksien syyksi ehdotettiin surua. "Tarinani on normaali. Suurin osa saa lähetteen neurologille MS diagnoosilla."
Borrelioositestien luotettavuus on noin 50%:n luokkaa. Dooleyn kohdalla immunoblottaus-testi, Western blot, oli positiivinen mutta vasta vuosien kuluttua hän kuuli asiasta sillä lääkärien mukaan hänen oireensa olivat emotionaalisia eivätkä fyysisiä. Oireiden kulku oli aaltomaista; joinakin päivinä oireet olivat lieviä, toisina voimakkaita. Vuosien mittaan Dooleyn tauti paheni ja hän alkoi etsiä tietoa oireistaan. Samaan aikaan "ruohonjuuritasolla" alkoi esiintyä aktiivisuutta Borrelioositiedon levittämisessä. Tätä kautta myös Dooley löysi viimein tietoa omasta tilanteestaan. Nyt hän on, Benin lailla, Borrelioosiin erikoistuneen lääkärin hoidossa (LLMD). Molemmat auttavat myös muita sairastuneita mm. kertomalla taudista julkisuudessa.
Hoitoja etsivät potilaat joutuvat usein maksamaan hoidot itse. Sue Sullivan arvioi käyttäneensä vähintään 10 000$ testeihin ja hoitoihin. Ongelmat ovat suuret koska Sullivan on taudin vuoksi työkyvytön. Hän arvelee saaneensa bakteeritartunnan vaellusretkeltään. ensimmäiset oireet olivat kovat nivelkivut, uupumus, keskittymisongelmat, puhevaikeudet. Aika ajoin hän ei osannut kävellä kotiin, unohteli avaimet auton lukkoon ja jätti auton käyntiin poistuttuaan siitä jne. Yhtenä monista testeistä tehtiin borrelioositesti. Se oli positiivinen, mutta CDC:n kriteerien mukaan näyttö ei ollut riittävä. Hän löysi kuitenkin lääkärin joka oli perehtynyt riittävästi Borrelioosiin. Hänen mukaansa sairastin kroonista neuroborrelioosia. Aviopuolison jouduttua työttömäksi hän ei ole kyennyt maksamaan antibioottihoitoja. Perhe on menettämässä taudin vuoksi omakotitalonsa. Sullivan käyttä hoidossan parhaillaan yrttilääkintää ja lisäravinteita. Hän elää päivän kerrallaan.
42-vuotias Jeff sai Borrelioosi-diagnoosin kaksi vuotta sitten mutta hän epäilee sairastaneensa tautia 22 vuotta. Hän kärsi alussa lähinnä fatiikista ja masennuksesta. Myöhemmin hän sai rytmihäiriöitä, pahoinvointia, huimausta ja yöhikoilua. Vuonna 2009 hän menetti kävelykyvyn. Kaksi vuotta aikaisemmin otetut borrelioositestit olivat negatiiviset. Jeff käytti paljon aikaa netissä löytääkseen selityksen oireilleen. Huomasin mitkä ruumiintoiminnot olivat hajoamassa muuta en keksinyt mikä niiden syynä oli. Hän matkusti tri Feinin vastaanotolle. Fein diagnosoi Borrelioosin. Jeff ei ollut varma uskoako diagnoosia koska oman paikkakunnan lääkärit eivät uskoneet siihen. Heidän mukaansa lääkäri huijaa Jeffiä.
Vuonna 2007 julkaistiin tutkimus (New England Journal of Medicine ) jonka mukaan Borrelioosia sairastavilla on kroonisia oireita. Tutkijoiden mukaan lääkärien tulee kertoa että mikään antibiootti ei paranna tautia.
Jeffin mukaan lääketeollisuus on korruptoitunutta bisnestä. Hän on päättänyt antibioottien sijaan hoitaa itseään erilaisilla lääkkeettömillä hoidoilla kuten yrtit ja lisäravinteet. "Elimistölle on annettava mahdollisuus parantaa taudit."
http://www.worcestermag.com/home/top-st ... 48184.html
Barbara Taormina
Story Created: Mar 30, 2011 at 6:13 PM EDT
Story Updated: Mar 30, 2011 at 6:15 PM EDT
Ben Secino likes inventing stuff. He?s been thinking lately about a teddy bear that warms up and comforts kids who are fussy or can?t sleep. For adults, he?s come up with a hovering no-hands flashlight, a kind of Star Wars-like ultra-handy night gadget. People will be banging down the doors of Home Depot to get one.
Ben is also thinking about designing video games, the kind with stories, strategies, intricate puzzles and great graphics. And when you talk to him you have no doubt he?ll do all of that, and more.
But three years ago, when he was in the fourth grade, nothing was certain about Ben?s future.
?It was awful,? recalls his mom, Diane Secino. ?His eyes would jitter, and he was having a lot of trouble in school. By late January, he was having horrifying migraine headaches and neurological problems.?
Secino kept hoping for the best as she watched the worst unfold.
?By the end of March, he couldn?t count to three,? she says. ?He kept falling down, he couldn?t walk, he couldn?t stand light and the pain was beyond measure.?
The Secinos went from doctor to doctor to doctor, but no one had any explanations, or any cures.
?They kept telling us it was psychiatric,? says Senico.
During one of Ben?s many doctors? appointments, an acquaintance mentioned Shelia Statlander, a clinical psychologist in Framingham who had cataloged a long list of problems associated with Lyme disease. The Secinos learned that Statlander had attributed almost every detail of her Ben?s decline?the muscle weakness, the loss of language, the overwhelming fatigue?to late-stage Lyme disease.
Since 1975, Lyme disease has been steamrolling through New England leaving a trail of very sick people in its wake. The disease is spread by tiny deer ticks that latch on to unsuspecting human hosts. The ticks dig their jaws into a patch of skin, and as they sip out a blood meal they leave behind a type of bacteria called borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease.
People with a fresh case of Lyme disease often come down with a fever, nausea, chills, aches, and in some cases, a distinctive red bull?s-eye rash. Most patients who are diagnosed early take a round of antibiotics and recover. In a perfect world, Lyme disease would be caught and cured every time. But nothing is perfect, and many cases of Lyme disease go undetected.
In cases like Ben?s, a set of far more serious symptoms emerges years after the initial tick bite and infection. Other people experience the first wave of acute symptoms and then, because they were undiagnosed, misdiagnosed or inadequately treated, a gradual wave of debilitating problems such as extreme fatigue, memory loss, intense joint pain and depression begin to take hold. Those patients suffer from chronic Lyme disease, an illness that the established medical community says is not backed up by any scientific evidence.
Many doctors say chronic Lyme disease doesn?t exist, and therefore, it can?t be treated?many, but not all. Ben starting seeing one of a small network of doctors who treat patients with chronic and advanced cases Lyme disease with an aggressive, long-term course of antibiotics. Healing from Lyme disease is a long and hard haul, but the pieces of Ben?s life are starting to fall back into place.
Other people with chronic Lyme disease are fighting their way back to health with different combinations of medications, alternative therapies, diets and exercise. Lyme disease is a complicated illness and patients respond in individual ways to both the bacteria that causes it, and the treatments that cure it.
But what Lyme disease patients, or Lymies, as they sometimes call themselves, do share is a sense that traditional medicine has abandoned them. And as a result, they have been pushed to the forefront of an emerging trend that has patients turning to one another for the help and support that they have been unable to find at doctors? offices and hospitals.
People with chronic Lyme disease are talking, networking, blogging, emailing and sharing their experiences with the disease, doctors and treatments. They are swapping papers on the latest scientific research and debating ideas on the politics of medicine and health care. Thousands of patients all with their own observations and ideas are taking charge of their disease and many are finding ways to heal themselves.
The Lyme library
If you are going to visit Jan Dooley, skip breakfast and lunch.
Dooley is one of those people who throws open her door, welcomes you in with a drink, a snack, a meal, anything. If she doesn?t have what you like, she?ll offer to run out to a nearby restaurant and pick up some take out. The slim, attractive 50-something Worcester resident is one of those persistent givers who is happiest when she?s doing something for someone.
?That?s who she is, who she?s always been,? says a close friend. ?It?s so heart-breaking she would get this disease.?
Dooley was bitten by a tick about 10 years ago while playing 18 holes on a nearby golf course. Her case of Lyme disease went undiagnosed for years.
Initially, the aching, relentless fatigue and deep depression were treated as symptoms of allergies. Doctors eventually suggested she was suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson?s disease, multiple sclerosis and an intense bout with menopause.
?That?s the normal story,? she says. ?We all end up going to see multiple sclerosis specialists, who just dismiss us.?
When her husband died, doctors attributed her aching joints, memory loss and difficulty walking to grief.
?I knew what grieving was and I knew what it means to be in pain,? she says.
One of the biggest problems for people with all stages of Lyme is that the disease is not fully understood. Lyme bacteria not only trumps the body?s immune system, but has developed the ability to hunker down deep in tissue throughout the body and hide from antibiotics. Some studies suggest the bacteria outwits science and medicine by changing shape, while other studies suggest it disguises itself with microbial slime called biofilm.
Despite the nightmare that the Lyme bacteria has caused for the Secino family, both Ben and his mom have a kind of hats-off respect for the germ.
?It?s one of the most intelligent species in the world,? says Ben. ?And it?s a great survivor. It would get the genius award.?
Diane Secino calls it a phenomenal bacteria and adds that it shares a lot in common with syphilis.
?But now that we know what causes Lyme disease, we need to figure out how we diagnose it, and how we treat it,? she says.
And that?s another problem for people with Lyme disease. The tests and medications science has developed to treat it are primitive compared to the savvy and sophisticated bacteria that causes it.
The standard ELISA test used to screen for the disease has a 50 percent accuracy rate. Some doctors defend the test, saying it?s correct at least 60 percent of the time, but that?s still a failing grade in most public schools.
Patients who test positive for Lyme disease are often given a second and more reliable Western blot test while those who test negative are told they don?t have Lyme disease.
Dooley says her diagnoses came with a Western blot test but only after years of being evaluated by doctors who suggested her problem was emotional rather than physical. Those were roller coaster years for Dooley. On some days, the symptoms were almost manageable, but on other days, she couldn?t carry on a casual conversation or walk across her kitchen.
?You could never plan anything because you never knew how you would feel,? she says. ?You don?t buy anything because you don?t know if you?re going to live long enough to use it.?
As Dooley was getting sicker, the grassroots movement of Lyme patients was growing louder and more organized. Her search for answers about her illness led to a network of thousands of others suffering from different combinations of the same basic group of symptoms.
Like Ben, Dooley now sees a Lyme literate doctor who she says understands the nuances of the disease and what strategies can be used to fight it. And while she used to be focused almost exclusively on getting well, today she is determined to help others struggling with the disease and to prevent any new cases by spreading the word and raising public awareness,
?When the Lyme-bubble burst, I was there in the beginning,? says Dooley, who has since become an important link in the Lyme-disease community. A small room in her home has been turned into a Lyme library filled with books, magazines, pamphlets and posters. She passes out booklets and flyers with a lime-colored business card attached that reads, ?Lyme Disease?? and her name, phone number and email address.
Tick Tock
Worcester County reported 420 confirmed cases of Lyme disease in 2009.
Although that number is down slightly from 2008, Dr. Richard Ellison, a professor at UMass Medical School in Worcester who specializes in infectious diseases, says the incidence of Lyme disease in central Massachusetts is definitely on the rise.
?Cases where people experience a circular rash and have symptoms such as arthritis, Bells palsy, heart infections, those cases are well defined and well-documented and they have been going up over the last three to four years,? he says.
And for Ellison there?s not much mystery about the cause.
?There are many more deer in the suburbs, and the more deer means more deer ticks,? he says.
A decade ago, Lyme disease in Massachusetts seemed to be hitting communities on Cape Cod. But according to the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, Lyme disease cases have increased fourfold in Worcester and Middlesex counties since 2000.
?What we are seeing now, we didn?t see in the past,? says Ellison. ?More people are being treated for Lyme disease in Worcester. The disease is following the movement of the deer.?
There are more cases in towns such as Holden, Auburn and areas on the outskirts of the city.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health organizations tracking Lyme disease have suggested that the actual number of cases of Lyme disease could be 10 times higher than the available statistics.
?The bacterium basically has the capacity to disguise itself,? says Ellison, pointing out that the accuracy of the tests currently available is limited because of that fact.
?Almost like radios, there are strong signals and weak signals with Lyme disease,? says Ellison. ?Like radios, the tests have to be turned up. There are definitely some problems with the test right now.?
And no one knows for certain how many cases have gone undetected because the tiny tick that carries the disease was never noticed and never swatted off. Deer ticks also carry and spread other bacteria that cause different diseases such as human granulocytic anaplasmosis and babesiosis.
Symptoms for those infections can be similar to and mistaken for Lyme disease.
Ellison says a deer tick takes two to three days to finish feeding from its human host, and it?s during the final part of its meal that a tick infected with Lyme will transfer the disease.
The cost of Lyme
Patients who seek alternative treatments for Lyme disease are on their own when it comes to paying the bill.
Shrewsbury resident Sue Sullivan figures she?s spent about $10,000 on tests and treatments. And that might not be so bad if Sullivan was able to work. But Lyme disease cost her the job she had as an occupational therapist for disabled kids. She couldn?t keep up with her students.
Sullivan thinks she got the disease during a camping and hiking trip. The first signs of Lyme were joint pains and overwhelming fatigue. Next came the difficulty concentrating, and the inability to find the right words while speaking.
Sullivan was still working in the school system, and it was almost summer vacation. She figured she would rest up over the break and be fine in September.
But her health kept slipping, and there were frightening moments along the way. One afternoon she decided to walk to the home of a friend who lived nearby.
?I was half way there, and I looked around and realized I didn?t know where I was,? she recalls. She was scared, but she kept walking and eventually found her way.
Then, a week or so later, she had a long lunch with a friend. Everything was fine until she was getting ready to leave and realized she didn?t have her car keys.
?I finally found them in the ignition of the car, which was still running,? she says, adding that the engine was idling for about two hours.
Sullivan had lots of diagnostic tests, including one for Lyme disease.
?It came back positive,? she says. ?But according to the Center for Disease Control, the results weren?t significant enough to require further testing.?
Sullivan eventually found her way to a practitioner who was well versed in Lyme disease.
?She had me fill out a form that listed 40 different symptoms, and rate them for mild to severe. When I was done, she took one look at it and said, ?you have chronic Lyme disease.??
Sullivan says her type of Lyme disease is in her central nervous system. She was taking antibiotics, but paying out of pocket was getting harder and harder.
Things went from bad to worse when her husband was laid off from his job.
?Now we are looking at losing our house,? she says. ?Lyme has taken so much.?
For Sullivan, who is now on an herbal regimen and supplements, faith and a one-day-at-a-time approach has helped her through some of the worst days.
?Wherever this takes us, God will provide,? she says. ?I have already been to hell and back, thanks to Lyme disease.?
Defining the disease
Although some people have a hard time describing how chronic Lyme feels, Jeff, a Lyme patient from Worcester who prefers to be known by just his first name, says it?s not hard to sum up.
?It?s like drinking a case of beer every day for a week and then sitting down in front of a huge set of blaring speakers at a rock concert at 6 a.m.,? he says. ?It?s living hell.?
Jeff, who is now 42, was diagnosed with Lyme disease two years ago, but he figures he?s had it since he was about 20. Initially, fatigue and depression were his major complaints, and he responded well to the medications his doctors prescribed. But as time went on, he started have heart palpitations, nausea, dizziness and night sweats.
?By the summer of 2009, I couldn?t walk,? he recalls. ?I was literally approaching complete disability.?
Two years earlier, he was tested for Lyme disease but the results were negative. Jeff had invested a lot of time researching his symptoms in the hope of finding some explanation.
?I was able to figure out which of my systems were breaking down, but I couldn?t get to the root cause,? he says, adding that he never really thought Lyme disease was to blame.
But by 2009, he was desperate for answers and decided to have another test, but not just at any clinic. Jeff traveled to New Jersey to see Dr. Leslie Fein, an expert on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses.
?Dr. Fein uses more sophisticated diagnostic criteria,? he says. ?She uses several different tests. There?s not one test that gets everything.?
Fein diagnosed Jeff with Lyme disease, and while he finally had an explanation for his illness, he wasn?t sure he believed it. His regular doctors back in Worcester didn?t think much of the diagnoses.
?They told me, ?This woman is scamming you,?? recalls Jeff, who may or may not have mentioned some of the highlights of Fein?s resume such as teaching epidemiology at Columbia University and Mt. Sinai Hospital, her research grants from major pharmaceutical companies, and her role co-authoring government reports on Lyme disease.
And even if he did mention Fein?s credentials, it probably wouldn?t have mattered. The diagnoses and treatment of Lyme disease is a highly controversial topic that has divided the American medical community with the vast majority of doctors on the side opposing Fein and others who treat chronic Lyme with the long-term use of antibiotics.
Most doctors accept the conventional definition of Lyme disease from the Infectious Disease Society of America, IDSA, a prestigious group of academic and research scientists. The ISDA defined Lyme disease as an infection from a tick bite that causes a red ringed rash. According to the ISDA, Lyme disease is cured 95 percent of the time with two to four weeks of antibiotics.
But a lot of people never feel the bite and never see a tick. Lyme goes undetected until it sinks in and starts causing enough aches and pains to trigger a trip to the doctor. But even patients who see a doctor and have a Lyme test have a 50/50 chance of getting a correct diagnosis.
And people who happen to find a tiny deer tick on their body and carefully wrap it up and bring it along to their doctor may not test positive for Lyme. The Secinos found the tick that bit Ben when he was about 18 months old, but ultimately their concerns were dismissed and they were sent home with the assurance that everything was fine.
?You cannot imagine the outrage we will forever feel for being ignored,? says Diane.
Doctors who treat Lyme disease acknowledge those problems. They also believe that the Lyme bacteria is extremely complex, and the disease has scores of different faces. They turn to the one treatment they know has effectively knocked out the Lyme bacteria?aggressive long-term antibiotics.
Dr. Dale Magee, Worcester?s new Health Commissioner, says the debate over treating chronic Lyme disease has become very emotional.
?On one hand you have a lot of people with a lot of nonspecific symptoms who are raising questions,? says Magee. ?Patients are desperate for an explanation; they need the ability to organize their lives.?
But as Magee points out, there is no scientific evidence to support the idea that aggressive regimens of antibiotics successfully cure chronic Lyme disease. And the treatment is painful and risky. Some patients have developed gallstones, while others have walked away with new infections. The medication can also damage a patient?s digestive system.
?Patients end up killing all the good bacteria in their system,? says Magee. And as other research suggests, the overuse of antibiotics can potentially trigger new strains of bacteria immune to the medications that now exists.
?I tend to side with traditional medicine on this, but I also understand we don?t have an explanation for these symptoms,? says Magee.
Still, Magee suggests that chronic Lyme disease patients need to be wary of people promising a cure.
?I think as practitioners of medicine we have to realize we don?t have every answer and that?s very humbling,? he says. ?But by the same token, that doesn?t mean that someone who says they have an answer is right.?
In 2007, the New England Journal of Medicine published a paper that acknowledged that patients suffer from long-term Lyme disease symptoms. But the authors also suggested that doctors are obligated to tell patients that there is no antibiotic to cure them and to instead support them in managing their symptoms.
?Not every disease requires treatment,? says Magee. ?The body is a wonderful organ for healing itself.?
As for divisive debate on chronic Lyme, Magee isn?t sure there?s a cure for that either.
?It gets a little difficult when you have a community that is anti-establishment and anti-science,? he says.
The politics of Lyme
Most chronic Lyme disease patients do not consider themselves anti-science. They welcome new information and evidence. But they do question the ISDA?s motive for slapping a definition on Lyme disease that they say is too narrow and disregards much of what people have learned over the past 20 years.
And they question the IDSA?s motives. According to several different investigations, the majority of IDSA members who worked on the definition of Lyme disease and the guidelines for treatment had a direct or indirect interest in a patent for a Lyme-disease vaccine.
In the world of medical marketing, vaccines are a cash cow. Millions if not billions of dollars in profits are at stake. Chronic Lyme disease advocates have suggested a vaccine for a narrowly defined disease that has as much of a shot at development and Federal Drug Administration approval than a vaccine to protect against a disease with a slew of different symptoms that emerge at different stages.
And the chronic Lyme disease community also questions the IDSA?s objection to the long-term use of antibiotics. If the drugs are effective, then there?s no need for a vaccine.
?It?s a corrupt system with a flawed business model,? says Jeff, who decided to pass on the antibiotics and try alternative therapies such as herbs and other nutrients. ?Health care lacks transparency, and it lacks accountability.?
The IDSA denies all conflict-of-interest allegations, and an independent review board has upheld its definitions and guidelines.
But what angers chronic Lyme disease patients most is the medical establishment?s practice of sanctioning doctors who prescribe long-term antibiotics. In some areas doctors, who buck the IDSA and treat chronic Lyme patients risk losing their licenses.
That?s no longer the case in Massachusetts, thanks in large part to former Groton Rep. Robert Hargraves, who successfully maneuvered a bill through the state legislature that offered protection to doctors who prescribe more than the accepted four-week course of antibiotics for Lyme disease.
?I learned that this is a very, very complex disease,? says Hargraves. ?I met people who have been crippled by Lyme disease and others who are very, very sick. It?s been an educational process and from my observation, doctors are no better than politicians.?
Health officials resisted the bill all along the way, but ultimately Hargraves and Sen. Fred Berry were able to give the legislation the final push it needed to pass. Hargraves says he heard over and over that the treatment is risky.
?My answer to that was, so what. Why not? Isn?t treating cancer risky? Why is Lyme disease any different? Let the patient go to a doctor and let them decide.?
Hargraves acknowledges there are a lot of issues tied up in the Lyme-disease debate, particularly in terms of health-care coverage. But this time around, he took the KISS?or keep it simple, stupid?approach: just protect the doctors and let them take care of their patients.
Although he says it wasn?t entirely clear why health officials wanted to keep chronic Lyme disease patients from receiving medication, Hargraves says, he?s sure of at least one thing.
?There?s a place for people who withhold care from sick people,? he says. ?I would like to pick that place.?
Dooley, the Secinos and all of Worcester?s other Lyme patients would no doubt all be in favor of that.
For Dooley, Hargraves is a Lyme angel. Allowing doctors to prescribe medication for chronic Lyme is a huge worry off her shoulders, and one that allows her to pursue her dream of developing an educational program that teaches Worcester kids about Lyme and how to protect themselves from the disease. Ben has been Dooley?s inspiration for the program.
?What happened to Ben should never happen to another child,? she says.
Dooley has already invested $1,000 in copies of a recent documentary about Lyme disease, and she?s planning how to make it all work.
?It?s my fantasy,? she says. ?And I have my speech ready.?
Out for blood
Jan Dooley knows the damage chronic Lyme disease can do to your health, relationships, career and future. And it still seems to amaze her that all of that chaos comes from a creature roughly the size of a sesame seed.
Deer ticks, the primary carrier of Lyme disease in New England, may be small but they are extremely well designed. Not only do they have body parts that make them highly efficient stalkers, they have a cache of biochemicals that helps them steal a blood meal from a host with little risk of interruption.
?Ticks are actually pretty cool,? says Tze Hei Yong, a professor of insect ecology at Worcester State.
?They have eight legs, so they are not insects. They are more closely related to spiders.?
Although ticks have a creepy spider-like gait, their legs weren?t made for walking. Ticks use most of their legs to latch on to a host as it passes by. Generally they climb to the top of a blade of grass or a low-growing plant and hang on with their third set of legs. The other six legs, which end with tiny hooks for feet, are extended and at the ready. Scientists call the behavior questing.
And ticks know when a potential meal is headed their way. They can smell carbon dioxide and feel vibrations. If you pass close enough to their perch, they swing their legs back and forth hoping to catch a sock, a hem, maybe even a shoelace, anything that gets them on board.
?Deer and white field mice are their typical hosts,? says Yong. ?Humans are an abnormal host, but whenever people venture into their habitat, ticks will react.?
Ticks are natural climbers. If they succeed in catching your sock they will move up your leg, torso or arm until they come across a good feeding site. They favor cozy niches like armpits.
Ticks begin their work by using two serrated scissor-like mouth pieces to open a hole in the skin. They insert a straw-like pump into the hole and take a small sip of fresh pooling blood. Before they start to really feed, they pump their chemical-rich spit into the tiny wound. Tick spit fools the body?s immune system into keep white blood cells away. They prefer red blood. A second chemical helps keep blood flowing and a third cements the tick in place.
It is only toward the end of their meal, which can last up to five days, that a tick will transfer any infections it may be carrying.
?Tick populations are increasing,? says Yong who ties the population bump to land use and management. ?Forests that have been cut down are now being allowed to grow back. And the decrease in hunting and the increase in deer has been a major factor.?
Yong says the other factor that contributes to the increase in the number of ticks is climate change. Ticks are expanding their habitat slowly as temperatures rise.
?It?s kind of creepy to get a tick on you, especially because of Lyme disease, but they are really very interesting,? says Yong. ?Ticks have complex interactions with all other organisms, including humans.?
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