Tragic: 12 Dead and 50+ wounded at Aurora Colo. Batman Premere (rev.)

At least 12 dead and 50 injured after gunman opens fire during showing of 'The Dark Knight Rises' at Aurora, Colo., theater. Police say they have a suspect in custody, identified as 24-year-old James Holmes, who witnesses say was armed with a rifle and handguns, and who wore what appeared to be a bullet-proof vest and gas mask.

Police initially said 14 people had died -- 10 in the theater and four at area hospitals, but revised the death toll to 12 later Friday morning, according to Lanigan.

Several people remained in critical condition at area hospitals, however.

Of the wounded, at least 20 were being treated at the University of Colorado Hospital, said spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery. All of the wounded suffered from gunshot wounds, which ranged from minor to critical, she said.

"They're arriving by police, by ambulance. Some are walking in," she said.

The victims being treated there ranged in age from 3 months to 45, the hospital said.

Denver Health Center had six patients from the shooting, one of them in critical condition, five in fair, said Shelly Davis, house supervisor.

Swedish Health Center spokeswoman Nicole Williams said her hospital was treating three people, two of them in critical and one in fair condition. A fourth patient was on the way, she said.

Parker Adventist Hospital was treating two people for minor injuries, according to a spokeswoman.

Hundreds of police officers descended on the theater, and the FBI has joined the investigation.

"We were calling for help from every police and fire agency," Fania said.
Aurora, a Denver suburb, is about 13 miles from Littleton, Colorado -- site of the April 1999 Columbine High School massacre.



President Barack Obama said Friday he was "shocked and saddened" by a deadly shooting at a suburban Denver movie theater and urged the nation to "come together as one American family" in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Obama said in a statement that he and first lady Michelle Obama were shocked by the "horrific and tragic" shooting. Obama said his administration would do everything they can to support the people of Aurora, Colo.

"As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors," Obama said.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said in a statement that he and his wife, Ann, were "deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence" that led to the loss of life and injuries. He said they were praying for the families and loved ones of the victims "during this time of deep shock and immense grief. We expect that the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice."

A gunman opened fire early Friday at a theater on the opening night of the latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Authorities say at least 12 people were killed and at least 50 others were injured. The FBI said there was no indication that the shooting had any connection to terrorism.

Obama was in Florida at the time of the shooting. The White House says Obama was informed of the shooting by his Homeland Security Adviser, John Brennan, at 5:26 a.m. EDT.

UPDATE: Shooter planned attack


(11:15am) Law enforcement has evacuated 5 buildings around the suspects apartment as a safety precaution. Reports are the suspect has sophisticated boobie traps within this apartment preventing safe access at this time.


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Telemarketers making fraudulent calls on behalf of NH Association of Chiefs of Police

Police Department's throughout New Hampshire are warning residents that telemarketers are making fraudulent calls seeking donations for the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.

According to the association president, Chief Paul Donovan of Salem, uses fundraising as an important vehicle in helping to raise money for the continued benefit of promoting law enforcement education and training, but they don't use telemarketing to do so.

"We do all our own fundraising so that 100 percent of the money raised goes towards the programs we support and our Association," Donovan said. "This is done through direct mail.”

Telemarketers are people who sell things over the telephone and though many sell legitimate products from lawful companies, disreputable telemarketers using false and deceptive sales practices cost consumers billions of dollars a year, the press release said.

Fraudulent telemarketers can typically be identified by having a phone number from out of the area and by their high-pressure sales tactics.

"Legitimate businesses will usually recognize the fact that you’re not interested," the press release said.

Arm yourself with knowledge about the Federal Trade Commission’s “Telemarketing Sales Rules," which give consumers important protections.

Before the sales pitch even begins, the telemarketer must tell you that the call is a "sales" or a "fundraising" call.

The telemarketer must tell you his or her name and the name of the company. 

You can get your name removed from many telemarketing lists through a free service offered by the Federal Trade Commission. Simply register at the Commission’s Web site, www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 from the number you wish to add to the Do Not Call Registry. 

All telemarketers, even those not covered by the National Do Not Call Registry, must take you off their list if you specifically request that they do so. Tell the telemarketer to “remove me from your telemarketing list” and ask how long it will take to have your number removed.

If you get another call from a telemarketer, they have broken the law. Contact the police department in your area, or you can send an email to the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police by going to their website at www.nhchiefsofpolice.com.

Lobster at the Lowest Price Since the 70's

The current price of lobsters in the Northeast are the cheapest they've been in 40 years thanks to a mild winter that accelerated lobsters' life cycles, according to a WCVB report.

Lobstermen in Maine are reportedly being offered less than $2 a pound for their daily hauls. WCVB reports the price hasn't been that low since the 1970s.

The contributing factor in the near-historic lows, according to experts who spoke with WCVB, is that a mild winter in the Gulf of Maine lead lobsters to molt earlier than usual. Experts say more lobsters than usual are out to feed, leading to sizable hauls, but not profits, for lobstermen.

Massive landslide in Alaska sweeps over glacier

Posted: Jul 12, 2012 7:42 PM EDT
Updated: Jul 12, 2012 8:52 PM EDT

In this image provided by Drake Olson at flydrake.com, a landslide is seen at Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska on July 8, 2012. When a cliff collapsed in Glacier Bay National Park, it sent rock and ice coursing down a valley and over a lovely white glacier in what could be one of the largest landslide recorded in North America. The rumbling was enough so that it showed up as an earthquake in Alaska and Canada.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Even by Alaska standards, the rock slide in Glacier Bay National Park was a huge event.

It was a monumental geophysical event that was almost overlooked until a pilot happened to fly over where the cliff collapsed and snapped some photographs nearly a month later.

When the cliff collapsed in the national park in southeast Alaska on June 11, it sent rock and ice coursing down a valley and over a lovely white glacier in what perhaps was the largest landslide recorded in North America.

The rumbling was enough so that it showed up as a 3.4-magnitude earthquake in Alaska. The seismic event also was recorded in Canada. The massive landslide occurred in a remote valley beneath the 11,750-foot Lituya Mountain in the Fairweather Range about six miles from the border with British Columbia.

"I don't know of any that are bigger," Marten Geertsema, a research geomorphologist for the provincial Forest Service in British Columbia, said Thursday, when comparing the landslide to others in North America.

If someone had been standing in front of the slide, the air blast alone would have flattened that person, said Geertsema, who studies natural hazards resulting from geophysical processes on the earth's surface.

"I think they would be blown over by the air blast," he said.

Despite the extraordinary size of the landslide, which was estimated at a half-mile wide and 5 ½ miles long, it went virtually unnoticed until air taxi pilot Drake Olson flew over it on July 2. The landslide, which rolled over the glacier, is not very noticeable to the thousands of cruise ship passengers that visit Glacier Bay National Park near Juneau each summer. That is because it is about 12 to 15 miles up the glacier from the bay.

While this one was huge by North American standards, bigger ones have occurred, including a September 2002 landslide in Russia that extended for 20 miles, Geertsema said.

Lituya Mountain has been the scene of extraordinary geophysical events before. In 1958, a landslide on the other side of the mountain produced a wave estimated at 1,700 feet.

One fishing vessel was able to ride out the wave.

"They looked below them and they could see the tops of the Sitka spruce trees way below them. The other boat disappeared," Geertsema said.

Another boat with two people aboard disappeared.

One of Olson's photos of the June landslide shows a huge dent in the side of an ice-covered peak. Another shows a river of rock and ice that flowed out of a valley. The landslide triggered numerous avalanches.

Glacier Bay National Park Superintendent Susan Boudreau said visitors to the 3.2-million acre park won't notice anything different in the landscape this summer, but the rock and ice likened to a river of black syrup moving toward the bay is on the move. How fast it is moving is still the question, she said.

"It is going to come down but we don't know the speed of that," Boudreau said.

There are several factors that contribute to the likelihood of mountains collapsing, Geertsema said. Sometimes it is caused by a general weakening of the rock. Other times it could be due to a very large snowpack that melts quickly.

Scientists also are looking at the role of climate change.

"We are seeing an increase in rock slides in mountain areas throughout the world because of permafrost degradation," Geertsema said.

Permafrost is ground that stays perpetually frozen.

Geertsema said Swiss scientists are becoming increasingly convinced that climate change is playing a role in the frequency of rock slides after looking at data from instruments measuring temperature and the widening and narrowing of gaps in the rocks in the Alps.

"It plays an important role," Geertsema said, of climate change. "I think we have been underestimating the role it might play."

Park ecologist Lewis Sharman said the landslide is a reminder of why Glacier Bay National Park is special.

"These types of events to me are welcome reminders that this place is one of the coolest on earth," he said.



Source: http://ow.ly/cekzy

9 dogs found dead at Westfield MA kennel

A Westfield kennel is under investigation by state and local officials after one male and eight female dogs were found dead on July 5.

A spokesman for the MSPCA in Boston confirmed on Wednesday that an investigation is underway to determine whether animal cruelty laws had been violated at Coggin Creek Stables, reports masslive.com.
Brenda Coggin, the owner of the kennel located at 1008 Granville Road, claims the deaths of the nine Australian Shephards were a "tragic accident" caused by a faulty air conditioner.

According to the site, Coggin turned the air conditioning unit on before she left the kennel, but when she returned, the unit was emitting mist and an odor. Coggin buried the dogs, but did not call police.

Injured seal pup rescued from NH island

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - An injured baby seal was rescued just off New Hampshire's coast from the Isles of Shoals on Tuesday.

Rescuers said a researcher studying birds stumbled upon the young harbor seal in a tide pool on Appledore Island on Sunday morning.

The 23-pound pup had some cuts on his belly and seemed in distress. Rescuers with Marine Mammals of Maine monitored the seal for several tides.

"To see if the animal wanted to come and go on its own, and then it seemed to not want to leave the area, and seemed to be in a bit of distress, the response team that traveled out to Appledore Island discovered. The seal pup needed medical help. He didn't just have superficial cuts on his belly; one of his flippers was infected, preventing him from swimming," Executive Director Lynda Ada Doughty said.

Doughty said the 6-week-old pup was on his own having just been weened from his mother.

"They're on their own and trying to figure it out, and this one got into a little bit of trouble," she said.

The pup went to the University of New England Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center in Biddeford, Maine. His future was still uncertain.

Rescuers said they are getting a lot of calls this summer about similar situations. They said that, in many cases, the seals are not stranded at all.

Wildlife officials said people who spot stranded seals should keep their distance and contact help at 1-800-532-9551.

Source: http://ow.ly/c9HFt

While Cape Wind is debated, land-based development of wind power takes off

While Cape Wind is debated, land-based development of wind power takes off


Despite controversy that has slowed the Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound, land-based wind farms are expanding rapidly in the region.

One company alone, First Wind Holdings LLC of Boston, has installed enough turbines in the Northeast over the past few years to generate nearly as much power as the long-awaited offshore wind farm. Other companies, too, have developed wind projects in New England states.

Driving this growth are technological advances reducing the cost of wind turbines and increasing their efficiency, making wind power more competitive with traditional power sources — particularly in the Northeast, where electricity costs can run as much as 60 percent above the national average.

Turbine prices have dropped about 30 percent over the past few years, and new turbines are able to generate electricity at lower wind speeds.

Meanwhile, average electricity prices in the Northeast can top 15 cents per kilowatt hour, compared to a US average of 9.52 cents. New wind technology can generate power at an average cost of about 10 cents per kilowatt hour, excluding subsidies, according to the US Energy Department.

“Some of the states in the Northeast have been some of the fastest-growing markets,” said Elizabeth Salerno, director of industry data and analysis at the American Wind Energy Association, a trade group in Washington. “Power prices are relatively high [there], so by delivering wind projects, you can develop a pretty affordable source of generation.”

First Wind has built wind farms in eight locations in Maine, Vermont, and upstate New York. With the 34 megawatts that will be added when the company completes its wind farm near Eastbrook, Maine, First Wind’s projects will have the capacity to generate nearly 420 megawatts of electricity, compared to Cape Wind’s 468 megawatts.... continued

Injured hiker saves rescuer hit by copter blades

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - When he broke his leg and needed to be evacuated from a national forest in Northern California, U.S. Air Force doctor Jeremy Kilburn never thought he would be called on to save the life of his rescuer.

But that's just what happened when a California Highway Patrol officer sent to help Kilburn last week in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest was hit by the rotor blades of a helicopter. The injured Kilburn and the officer, Tony Stanley, switched roles.

Kilburn told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Stanley suffered a fractured skull.

When he learned of the injury, Kilburn hobbled, fell and crawled about 50 yards on his broken leg to Stanley.

"Yes, you're in pain, but this guy is dead or dying or something," he said. "All my military training told me I had to get to this guy now. The adrenaline just kicks in."

Stanley, who was unconscious, had lost blood, but that wasn't Kilburn's main concern. He was worried about his breathing.

He inserted a tube in the back of Stanley's throat to help keep his airway open and directed another person to keep pressure on his skull.

Kilburn, a critical care pulmonologist with the Air Force assigned to Nellis Air Force Base outside of Las Vegas, Nev., has experience treating brain injuries and had just given a talk about managing a patient's airway in such cases.

He wanted to do a more elaborate procedure to secure Stanley's airway, but decided against it.

"I just had this thought that doing something fancy is going to get me in trouble here," he said. "Let's do simple things."

When Stanley started to come to, Kilburn decided that was the time to try to get him out of there.

Stanley was put on a stretcher, loaded onto the helicopter and taken to a hospital.

The CHP has declined to reveal his condition, but Kilburn said on the flight over, Stanley gave him a thumbs up. He is hopeful Stanley will make a full recovery.

Stanley, 40, was one of two officers called out to pick up Kilburn, who said he suffered his broken leg when his dog nudged him after a long hike and he landed awkwardly. He was able to contact the CHP with the help of a camp group from Santa Cruz that had access to a satellite radio, he said.

The helicopter landed on a granite rock next to a steep embankment. As Stanley started to climb up the embankment to reach Kilburn, he was hit by the aircraft's rotor blades,........

Read more: http://ow.ly/c9tSx
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Teen Boy Loses Arm After 11-Foot Alligator Attacked Him in Florida River

“He’s been around alligators all his life,” the friend continued. “He’s smart enough – he knows if he offered him his arm he wouldn’t take his torso, so he was smart. He took the risk.”

Paramedics arrived and took the teen to the hospital, and before long trappers arrived on scene to try to find the gator responsible in hopes of recovering Langdale’s arm. Several hours and gators later, they indeed found both and sent the arm to the hospital. Unfortunately, it couldn’t be reattached.

Apparently Fred is in good spirits, however, saying he’s glad the gator got his right arm, because he uses his left to steer his airboat. He also said that he wants “the head” of the gator, to rest his prosthetic on once he has it.



--++--

Source: http://ow.ly/c9oZO

Stranded baby beluga dies in Alaska

Alaska -
A baby beluga whale that was believed to be just 2 days old when it was found stranded after a storm in Alaska's Bristol Bay has died at a research aquarium where it received round-the-clock care by a team of marine mammal experts.
Read more: http://wfxt.m0bl.net/r/13ums

Great bike ride on the Eastern Trail in Maine Sunday 21.4 miles!

View 7/8/2012 11:26 AM E TRAIL in a larger map  (No Image? Click this link: http://ow.ly/c6Tw9)

7/8/2012 11:26 AM Eastern Trail in Maine

Recorded: 7/8/2012 11:26 AM

Start/Finish: 43.506092,-70.442935 Thornton Academy Parking Lot (Saco, ME)

Mid-point (turn around): 43.58790, -70.31004 Pleasant Hill Disc Golf (Scarborough, ME)

Summary: This was a great ride and there were lots of great people along the ride.  The most ground can be covered on bike.  I recommend using mountain bikes on this trail as it can be sandy in spots and the wider tires help a bit.  Overall the trail has been well maintained.


The views were limited in this stretch of trail but it was very quiet and peaceful with the occasional open  stretch of marsh with an occasional egret to view.  The green heads were limited but present.  The trail system is funded and payed for by the surrounding eight communities, but is maintained by Granite State Gas Company who's pipeline runs the length of the trail system.


This particular trail system runs from Canada to Florida and more information can be found at: easterntrail.org   

Updated 15 hours ago

Created by My Tracks on Android.

Total distance: 34.37 km (21.4 mi)
Total time: 3:50:45
Moving time: 2:32:00
Average speed: 8.94 km/h (5.6 mi/h)
Average moving speed: 13.57 km/h (8.4 mi/h)
Max speed: 38.70 km/h (24.0 mi/h)
Average pace: 6.71 min/km (10.8 min/mi)
Average moving pace: 4.42 min/km (7.1 min/mi)
Min pace: 1.55 min/km (2.5 min/mi)
Max elevation: 22 m (74 ft)
Min elevation: -33 m (-107 ft)
Elevation gain: 867 m (2844 ft)
Max grade: 11 %
Min grade: -16 %
Recorded: 7/8/2012 11:26 AM
Activity type: bike

Shark at Rye beach: Lifeguards called swimmers out of the water at a Rye beach on Monday after a shark was spotted...

http://t.co/13d6OiwW

Child injured while hiking at Middle Sugarloaf Mountain

Rescue called off after child found to be OK

TWIN MOUNTAIN, N.H. - A 5-year-old boy is recovering after injuring himself while hiking at the Middle Sugarloaf Mountain.

State police said they got a call about the incident about 2 p.m. Sunday.

Troopers said the caller said the boy had slipped on a rock and hit his head before the call was disconnected.

Several agencies responded to the call and a New Hampshire Fish and Game officer eventually met the caller and was told the boy was not as badly thought as was initially feared.

The officer said he hiked up the trail to confirm the boy's well being and was able to find the boy's family.

Officials said the officer determined the boy only suffered a small wound on the back of his head and was not bleeding anymore. The officer said the child was in high spirits.

The boy's mother told officers her son didn't need any treatment but she thanked everyone for their quick response.

The caller told authorities he did try to call 911 to tell them that help wasn't needed anymore.

Officers said that as soon as they canceled that investigation, they got a call about a hiker who was possibly injured in Huntington Ravine.




Source: http://ow.ly/c65T3

16 year old Teen rescued after suffering injury while hiking in Maine

GREENVILLE, Maine - The Maine Warden Service said a 16-year-old girl from Wisconsin was injured Friday while hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Officials said the teen was part of a group of 11 girls that was hiking the 100-Mile Wilderness from Monson to Mt. Katahdin. The group was part of an organization from New Hampshire called the American Youth Foundation, officials said.

The Maine Warden Service said the girl injured her ankle at about 7 p.m. and was no longer able to hike the rugged portion of the Appalachian Trail. The group camped out for the night and met a rescue team Saturday morning.

Maine game wardens, along with members of the Maine Forest Service, the Greenville Fire Department, and Appalachian Mountain Club, helped carry the injured hiker about two miles over very treacherous terrain, officials said. The rescue took about four hours.

The hiker was taken to Dean Hospital in Greenville for treatment.



Source: http://ow.ly/c62IP

Rescue team aids dehydrated hiker on Little Haystack

12:54 PM EDT Jul 08, 2012

LINCOLN, N.H. - New Hampshire Fish and Game Department aided a dehydrated hiker in Franconia on Saturday.

Officials said the hiker fell ill on Franconia Ridge between Little Haystack and Mount Lincoln about 4 p.m. Saturday.

A rescue team met with the hiker a short time later. After rest and rehydration she was able to hike back out of the area on her own.

New Hampshire Fish and Game officials recommend that hikers bring at least 2 liters of water to hydrate with.




Source: http://ow.ly/c62kl

Woman rescued after falling on NH Mountain

Woman rescued after falling on mountain | Local News - WMUR Home

Camping? Got the emergency fire starter?

Lyme Disease Facts and the Ticks who are causing it!

Since recently having been bitten and currently being treated for a tick bite and potential Lyme exposure I have decided to help with awareness!

This was my wake up call to letting as many people know about Lyme disease as I can reach! 

I was surprised to see how little is done to educate for a growing problem, especially in the Northeast Region of the United States where Lyme is so prevalent.  If known what to look for early, it is nearly always curable.

Lyme disease is caused by the tick-borne spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato..Of the total vector-borne illnesses found in the United States, Lyme disease is by far the most prominent and it accounts for more than 95% of the vector borne cases of illness in the country. Lyme disease has surpassed AIDS as one of the fastest growing infectious epidemics in our nation, with a cost to society measured at approximately $1 billion annually.

Reported Lyme disease cases in the US have more than doubled since the CDC began recording cases in 1991. In 2007, 27,444 cases of Lyme disease were reported to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States, a 40% increase from 2006!


Tick-borne Lyme disease used to show up in a little fringe of the coastal northeast United States. A bad disease, but in small terrain. Small numbers. Well, look again. Lyme disease is spreading far and wide.

Across Pennsylvania, into Ohio, southwest Michigan, northern Illinois. Heavy in Wisconsin, in Minnesota, showing up in North Dakota, even California. Look south and it’s big in New Jersey, Maryland, northern Virginia. And creeping beyond. It’s a story of ticks and deer and foxes and coyotes and birds. And pain.

The source of many bites is the deer tick, which often resides on animals in forests, the doctors said. The experts recommend that when going into the woods, individuals should travel in the middle of the day and be careful to stay on paths and avoid animal trails.

Larval and nymphal deer ticks often hide in shady, moist ground litter, but adults can often be found above the ground clinging to tall grass, brush, and shrubs. They also inhabit lawns and gardens, especially at the edges of woodlands and around old stone walls where deer and white-footed mice, the ticks' preferred hosts, thrive. Within the endemic range of B. burgdorferi (the spirochete that infects the deer tick and causes LD), no natural, vegetated area can be considered completely free of infected ticks.

Deer ticks cannot jump or fly, and do not drop from above onto a passing animal. Potential hosts (which include all wild birds and mammals, domestic animals, and humans) acquire ticks only by direct contact with them. Once a tick latches onto human skin it generally climbs upward until it reaches a protected or creased area, often the back of the knee, groin, navel, armpit, ears, or nape of the neck. It then begins the process of inserting its mouthparts into the skin until it reaches the blood supply.

In tick-infested areas, the best precaution against LD is to avoid contact with soil, leaf litter and vegetation as much as possible. However, if you garden, hike, camp, hunt, work outdoors or otherwise spend time in woods, brush or overgrown fields, you should use a combination of precautions to dramatically reduce your chances of getting Lyme disease.

Precautions:

Experts also say that people entering the woods should wear protective clothing that covers their skin as well as boots and shoes. Shorts and sandals should be avoided.


When returning from the outdoors, people should check their bodies for clinging insects. Since some ticks that aren’t engorged are very small, use a mirror to check for insects or seek assistance from someone. Any clothes that were worn should be placed in the dryer for at least five minutes on high heat to kill any deer ticks that may have found their way onto the fabric.


Of the repellents that can keep ticks away, DEET is the most commonly recommended.


Property owners also should keep their land drained and dry if possible. The number of rodents should be controlled and deer presence should be limited with fences and deer-resistant plantings.


Lyme disease has many more symptoms than listed below but this is a summary of the major symptoms:

Overall: 
> After experiencing the bite or a flu-like episode, you started having one health problem after another or have not felt completely well since. 
>  You appear deceptively well, even when in intense pain and feeling terribly unwell. 
>  Your symptoms wax and wane, change, come and go. 
>  Some symptoms stay, some come and go, some are dramatic and others merely annoying. 
>  You find yourself describing your symptoms as weird or bizarre. 
>  All these symptoms started after a certain month, season or incident. 
>  You have persistent malaise, with periods of worsening symptoms, often cyclical, repeating about every four weeks. 
>  Whenever you are stressed your pain rises to a higher level. 
>  Whenever you fall, injure, or cut yourself - the injury and its associated pain lingers an exaggerated amount of time. 
>  Alcohol reacts on you. 
>  Your head is unclear, can't remember, thinking is off... 
>  Your medical tests have all turned up negative. 
>  Your MD insinuates your symptoms are not real.  
>  You know that something about your health is definitely not right . 


Body Temperature Disturbances 
> Body temperature feels unregulated 
> Can’t stand hot or cold temperatures. 
> Body temperature below 37oC ( 98.6°F)  
> Ice cold body parts and patches anywhere on body that do not match environment. 
> Unexplained sudden over-heating throughout body. 
> Unexplained chills (difficulty getting warmed up) 
> When sleeping: Night sweats (drenching) or intense body heat. 
> Unexplained sweats/fevers/feeling very hot, day and night. 
> Unexplained fevers (high or low grade) Recurrent episodes of fever 


Cognitive Disturbances 
> Brain fog; Like a cloud reducing your clarity of mind. 
>Brain block when trying to focus. Mimics Brain injury 
> Difficulty in thinking and processing information. 
> Difficulty reading, especially for enjoyment.  
> Difficulty in planning and organizing 
> Difficulty in problem solving/decision-making 
> Difficulty to see or take in the whole picture. 
> Difficulty with multi-tasking. 
> Difficulty to think quickly and to respond quickly. 
> Difficulty with judgment; Saying something without processing it correctly. Inability to think it through and its consequences. 
> Difficulty making decisions. 
> Difficulty estimating/figuring time. 
> Difficulty in tracking objects in motion. 
> Difficulty with calculations. (Inability to hold numbers in head or to add/subtract on the spur of the moment.) 
> Difficulty getting started or completing a project. 
> Slow processing of information 
> Difficulty in performing sequential tasks. 
> Difficulty learning new tasks 
> Suddenly forgetting how to perform routine tasks and remembering how, much later. 
> Problems with letter or number reversals (Mimics Dyslexia) 
> Intermittent spelling and writing difficulty. 
> Difficulty maintaining focus or concentrating.  
> Easily distracted. 
> Racing thoughts. Impulsive. Mimics schizophrenia 
> Losses in fields of attention/executive functions such as inability to maintain divided or sustained attention and memory  
> Inattention: distractibility, easily sidetracked, trouble staying focused, trouble sitting still.  
> Talking a lot, in constant motion, hyperactive. Mimics ADD/ADHD- Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder  
> Impulsivity:  impatient, interrupts others, saying something without thinking first. 
> Interrupting others in mid conversation or contributing to the conversation long after it is finished. Misspeaking.  
> Difficulty to keep up to a conversation or to understand what is being said. Auditory processing problems. Disrupted participation in conversation. 
> Difficulty in expressing ones self. Difficulty in word finding. Speech comes out as stammering, slurred, slow, hesitating. Word search, name block. Speech errors, wrong word comes out. Halting speech. 
> Emotional and expressive incontinence. 
> Slow processing, recalling, or remembering of information or what was read. 
> Difficulty with basics, social, and day to day functioning. 
> Declining performance in school or work. 
> Feeling a significant decline in intellectual acuity. 
> Feeling a loss of competence. 
> Intermittent distorted memory. Short/long term memory lapses. Forgetfulness, poor or loss of  short term memory.  Impaired memory functions (lost items, missed appointments, retold stories) Dementias 
> Tendency to get geographically disorientated; suddenly forgetting where a familiar destination is. Getting lost. Going to the wrong place. Mimics Alzheimer Disease. 
> Progressive decline in cognitive abilities over the years. Drop in measurable IQ Infection 


Dental Disturbances 
> Difficulty chewing, pain in teeth,  
> Dental problems; chronic gingivitis, receding  gums, thinning enamel. 
> Sudden pain within each tooth 
> Painful gums 
> Painful/stiff jaw, mimics TMJ 


Digestive System Disturbances 
(Borreliosis-caused Gut Palsy) Nerves sending incorrect messages to digestive system. Gastrointestinal tract paralysis and related abnormalities can occur anywhere along the entire length of the tract.  
>Paralysis or partial paralysis of the tongue, gag reflex, esophagus, stomach, and nearby organs, small and/or large intestines. 
> Change in smell/taste. 
> Difficulty chewing, swallowing, or speaking. 
> Disturbances of tongue, gag reflex, numbness. 
> Frequent heartburn  
> Gastroesophageal reflux or Rumination Disorder (which often leads to feeling starved and then over-eating) 
> Eating disorders; under or over-eating.  
> Not knowing when you are hungry or full. 
> Unexplained weight gain or weight loss. 
> Stomach pain 
> Upset stomach 
> Nausea, vomiting. 
> Belly pain, abdominal cramps, intestinal spasms 
> Bloated belly. 
> Unusual constipation: putty like/unresponsive to laxatives. 
>(Stops for many days and suddenly restarts for no particular reason) Intestinal pseudo-obstruction. 
> Unexplained diarrhea with sometimes blood in runny stools. Mimics Irritable Bowel Syndrome. 
> Colitis (inflammation of intestine) Mimics Crohn’s disease 
> Reluctance to go to school/work /going out to eat because of bouts of diarrhea. 
> During night, rectal muscle/bowel cramping giving an urge to defecate. Proctalgia fugax 
> Fecal soiling in children after being trained. 
> Mild Liver function abnormalities; liver infection, inflammation, enlargement, elevated enzymes, (spirochaeta hepatitis) 
> Enlarged spleen, 
> Gallbladder and bile duct disturbances 
> Disturbances of any part of the intestines. 
> Intestinal Microbial Flora imbalance 
> Heightened response to alcohol, sweets or caffeine 


Ears and Hearing Disturbances 
Eight nerve  
> High pitched whining, buzzing, clicking, ringing, buzzing, hissing, humming, ticking, whistling, roaring, beeping or a "whooshing" sound, as of wind or waves, or other sound in one or  both ears.Tinnitius 
> Pain in ear(s) with no medical cause. 
> Sound sensitivity (Some noises causes extreme irritability) 
> Decreased hearing in one or both ears. Hearing loss. Plugged ears. 
> Ears popping


Treatment:

Early treatment of LD (within the first few weeks after initial infection) is straightforward and almost always results in a full cure. Treatment begun after the first three weeks will also likely provide a cure, but the cure rate decreases the longer treatment is delayed.

Doxycycline, amoxicillin and ceftin are the three oral antibiotics most highly recommended for treatment of all but a few symptoms of LD. A recent study of Lyme arthritis in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that a four-week course of oral doxycycline is just as effective in treating late LD, and much less expensive, than a similar course of intravenous Ceftriaxone (Rocephin) unless neurological or severe cardiac abnormalities are present. If these symptoms are present, the study recommends immediate intravenous (IV) treatment.

Treatment of late-Lyme patients can be more complicated. Usually LD in its later stages can be treated effectively, but individual variation in the rate of disease progression and response to treatment may, in some cases, render standard antibiotic treatment regimens ineffective. In a small percentage of late-Lyme patients, the disease may persist for many months or even years. These patients will experience slow improvement and resolution of their persisting symptoms following oral or IV treatment that eliminated the infection.

Although treatment approaches for patients with late-stage LD have become a matter of considerable debate, many physicians and the Infectious Disease Society of America recognize that, in some cases, several courses of either oral or IV (depending on the symptoms presented) antibiotic treatment may be indicated. However, long-term IV treatment courses (longer than the recommended 4-6 weeks) are not usually advised due to adverse side effects. While there is some speculation that long-term courses may be more effective than the recommended 4-6 weeks, there is currently no scientific evidence to support this assertion. Click here for an article from the New England Journal of Medicine which presents clinical recommendations in the treatment and prevention of early Lyme disease.

For more details on Lyme disease Visit the CDC Website

Got Bats? New Rule Protects Vulnerable Bats with Restriction on Exclusion

White-nose Syndrome Documented in Another New Hampshire County

CONCORD, N.H. -- Are you planning to remove bats from your property? Be aware that a new rule designed to protect bats prohibits the exclusion of bats from unoccupied structures by licensed Wildlife Control Operators from May 15 through August 15, unless the N.H. Department of Health and Human Services has documented a rabid bat on the property. The rule was established this year in response to growing concern for the status of many of New Hampshire's bat populations, which have been decimated by white-nose syndrome (WNS) in recent years.

Bats in New Hampshire have suffered greatly as a result of white-nose syndrome. Populations of five of the state’s eight species of bats have plummeted, with hibernating numbers of the once-common little brown bat plunging over 99%, according to Emily Brunkhurst, a biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program.

"This rule helps protect our remaining bat populations during the time when they are raising young," said Brunkhurst. "While this measure is certainly helpful, we strongly urge people to avoid evicting bats from any structure, occupied or otherwise, during the summer months. Our bats are in big trouble, and, this is something concrete you can do to help them survive."

WNS was recently found for the first time in Rockingham County, bringing the total number of New Hampshire counties where the deadly bat disease has been found to four.

"It was very sad to see bats with white muzzles this winter in a new county. So far we only know the fungus is on the bats, but not if they are severely infected. We had no dead bats to test, which is good. We will continue to monitor these hibernating bat colonies to see how they do," said Brunkhurst.

There are indications that some bats are surviving several years of exposure to WNS. Bats in a maternity colony in Fort Drum, N.Y., have returned to breed for at least three years in a row. There are also a small number of bats still hibernating in three of the New York caves where WNS was first found. A new banding effort this year may provide some insight into whether the returning bats are the same individuals.

In New Hampshire, biologists are continuing to investigate some World War II bunkers where bats hibernate, to see if these may be serving as refuges from the fungus. In March 2011, biologists banded several bats there and tested them for the fungus. Unfortunately, five bats did test positive for the fungus, and yet they looked healthy. This year, nine banded bats returned to the bunkers, including three northern long-eared bats, one of the species hardest hit by WNS.

"Two of the returning bats had previously tested positive for the fungus, so it was encouraging to know they had survived," said Brunkhurst. "In March, we again tested big brown and long-eared bats for the fungus, and banded those we could reach. Sadly, three new bats showed visible fungus, and we will not be able to track them over time, as they were up on a high ceiling and could not be captured for banding. Perhaps this year's early spring helped them survive, as they could get food earlier than usual."

So far, there has been no success with finding a treatment for WNS, and the disease continues to appear in new bat colonies across the country every winter; it has spread from the Northeast through the Midwest and arrived in states in the Deep South and west of the Mississippi River this year.

"Summer surveys are echoing what winter ones have shown us, that there are few bats left in the skies over New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire," said Brunkhurst. "But there are ways that you can help. If you have a bat colony, please allow it to remain. If you need to remove it, please do not do so until after the bat pups are ready to fly off. They need the roost for a week or so after they learn to fly, for protection during the day. By mid-August, they will have left with their mothers to fatten up and seek winter shelter. Then you can plug up those access holes."

To learn more about New Hampshire's bats, white-nose syndrome, and how you can help, visit http://www.wildnh.com/Wildlife/Nongame/bats.html.

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