The Horse Doctor

There is now growing concern over several cases of the H5N1 flu in Indonesia (Sumatra)in which it appears that the virus may have adapted to human to human transmission (reported in Bloomberg.com ) . " In one case, a 10-year- old boy who caught the virus from his aunt may have passed it to his father, the first time officials have seen evidence of a three-person chain of infection, an agency spokeswoman said. Six of the seven people have died." At this point no one knows if any mutations have occured. "So far, studies of the Sumatran outbreak and genetic analyses of the virus don't indicate the virus has undergone major changes, Cheng said. Scientists at WHO-affiliated labs in the U.S. and Hong Kong found no evidence that the Indonesian strain of H5N1 has gained genes from pigs or humans that might change its power or spreadi ng ability, WHO said." "Almost all of the 218 cases of H5N1 infections confirmed by the WHO since late 2003 can be traced to direct ...

For those who are not keeping up with the news about this guy...here it is. This guy is certifiable. Amir Taheri has a good article about this. He is the current Iranian President and a member of a sect of Islam called the "Twelver's" who believe that the hidden Imam will return after a worldwide catacylism......one that can be brought about by the actions of man. More here . Now that the Iranian economy is headed for the dumper ( even with record high oil prices) he seems to be on the same track as Adolph Hitler. The Iranian Islamic Majlis (parliament) passed a law that will re quire religous minorities to wear strips of colored cloth just as the Germans did prior to World War II. "The law mandates the government to make sure that all Iranians wear "standard Islamic garments" designed to remove ethnic and class distinctions reflected in clothing, and to eliminate "the influence of the infidel" on the way Iranians, especially the ...

For those that watched the Preakness this afternoon it brought back memories of Ruffian. Heres what we know now according to Dr Larry Bramlage. Barbaro suffered two fractures in the right hind fetlock and is most likely being transported to New Bolton Center, the equine hospital at The University of Pennsylvanian. New Bolton is one of the only Hospitals that c an recover horses from surgery in a pool and decrease the risk of wrecking the surgical repair during recovery.Unfortuneatly, this is a very significant injury since the fetlock is now very unstable and will most likely have to be plated . Additionally, if the blood supply or nerves are stretched or damaged then the picture gets worse. It was a great thing Prado did such a masterful job of bringing Barbaro to a quick stop without doing any further damage. We will find out more in a few days if the information is released, if all goes well.....sooner than later. UPDATE Barbaro underwent surgery and at this point it is looki...