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CDC has Warn the Public About the Deadly "Kissing Bug?" (Triatomine Bugs)

Chagas 12:56 AM

Triatomine Bugs, kissing bug, kissing bugs, Chagas

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC has warn the public about the spread Kissing Bug throughout the United States. Kissing Bug are Triatomine Bugs, they are blood-sucking bugs that usually bites the face of their victims. These bugs carries a possibly fatal disease called Chagas.

The kissing bug recently made its way to Georgia, Alabama and California, although health officials said the insect has been around the U.S. since the 1850s.

The bug looks like a cockroach and it earned the name kissing bug since it feeds on the blood of mammals, usually by biting them on or around the lip. Chagas disease, which can be fatal if left untreated, according to the CDC. There are currently about 300,000 cases of Chagas in the U.S.

The bugs are typically found outdoors but they can tend to hide under beds and mattresses.

The CDC provided a map of states that have reported of the bug:

Source: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

How to avoid them: The CDC recommends synthetic pyrethroid sprays, this have been proven effective against the bug in Latin America. You can also seal all your windows, roofs and doors. It is also great to have screens over windows and doors, minimize yard lights as the bugs are attracted to light, seal all holes and cracks throughout the house, having pets sleep inside and regularly checking for the bugs is extremely helpful.

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FIRE AND ICE

6:44 AM

BY JANET STEINBERG

Like most women, sometimes I run hot and sometimes cold. Likewise, so run my travels…sometimes hot…sometimes cold. And, like a woman, both are equally exciting. Although I won’t let you in on my personal mood swings, I will share my travel moods with you. I love both the warmth of the fire and the chill of the ice.

FIRE………

Along California's Big Sur coast, where mountains plunge dramatically into the Pacific, I discovered one of the most dramatic meetings of land and sea in the world. VENTANA INN & SPA in a relatively undeveloped and pristine area is situated on 243 acres of meadows and gently sloping wooded hillsides 1,200 feet above the Pacific Ocean on the Big Sur coast. Secluded Ventana provides a peaceful and soothing atmosphere enhanced by its proximity to the area's natural wonders, and lots of comforting fireplaces.

VENTANA INN-BIG SUR, CALIFORNIA

GROVE PARK INN, an Asheville, North Carolina resort tucked in the breathtaking landscape between the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountain range, is a return to the elegance of a bygone era. It is yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, The Inn has preserved the integrity and charm of its turn-of-the-century atmosphere. The Great Hall, with its rustic stone walls, weathered slate floors, wooden columns, and copper lighting fixtures, is a warm and cozy haven in spite of its humongous size. Following cocktails on the Sunset Terrace, I lingered in a rocking chair in front of one of the room’s massive 14-foot fireplaces. The inscription over the fireplace expressed my feelings precisely: “Take from this hearth its warmth…From this room its charm…From this Inn its amity…Return them not, but return.” I will return.

GROVE PARK INN, ASHEVILLE, N. CAROLINA

THE RITZ-CARLTON LAGUNA NIGUEL is located halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Perched atop a 150-foot bluff with panoramic white-water views of the Pacific Ocean and two-miles of sandy beach, The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel is consistently ranked among the finest resorts in the world. 180blũ is an oceanfront dining lounge featuring panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and the blue skies across the horizon. Perched 150-feet above Salt Creek Beach, 180blũ is the perfect Southern California experience to enjoy refreshing hand-crafted beverages, small plates from Raya…the hotel’s awe-inspiring restaurant with ocean views…and a little slice of heaven on earth! Fire pits will take away any chill that might be in the air.

RITZ CARLTON-LAGUNA NIGUEL, CALIFORNIA

Jasper, in the Canadian Province of Alberta, is a picturesque town, nestled within Jasper National Park, one of the largest wilderness areas in North America. THE FAIRMONT JASPER PARK LODGE, a true “Grand Canadian Lodge Experience” built on 903 acres of pristine forest in Jasper National Park, is a village of cozy cedar chalets and heritage log cabins situated along the emerald shores of Lac (Lake) Beauvert. The Lodge,also locally known as "JPL", is an Alpine village comprised of rooms, suites, cabins, and chalets, all connected by picturesque paths. The rooms are decorated in casually elegant styles and the main lodge, with its blazing fireplace, stained-glass lamps, and wood furniture has a distinct Frank Lloyd Wright flavor.

JASPER PARK LODGE

…..AND ICE

The hottest bars in the world are also the coolest. My favorite trek to the Artic was on a sweltering summer day in Scandinavia. No matter the season, you can have a very shivery delivery in one of several Icebars in the US and around the world. Before chilling out in my ICEBAR, I donned a bright blue cape trimmed in snowy white faux fur and a pair of mittens. After being garbed for my Arctic adventure, I was escorted into an air lock and the door closed behind me. Then, voila, the door into the Icebar opened. Lo and behold, there it was. An entire room crafted of ice from the Torne River in Swedish Lapland. The walls, the bar, the tables, the booths, and hundreds of glasses were all sculpted from clear, pure, Arctic river water. If you opt for an icebreaker with names like “Jack Frost”, “Snowflake”, or “Avalanche”, you will get that icy mouthful of magic served in a glass made of pure ice. Not only did I ‘clink and drink one down’, but I clinked and drank one down very, very quickly. One does not last too long in a bar made of ice. (The temperature was 23-degrees Fahrenheit.) So, within thirty minutes, I was out of there. If you ever get to a city with an Icebar, (as ABC News put it when reporting on the Icebar in midtown New York) “…go inside and party your ice off”.

AUTHOR AND HUSBAND DRINK FROM ICE GLASSES IN ICEBAR

The MENDENHALL GLACIER about 12 miles from Juneau, Alaska is the original drive-up-to glacier and probably the most famous in the world. This great river of ice, stretching about 13.6 miles long, spills over onto the floor of the Mendenhall Valley. The Mendenhall Glacier is not just a gigantic piece of ice. It is a constantly moving, dynamic force that has carved the landscape around it. This magnificent river of ice moves every day, carving and changing the geography along its path. The glacier has retreated over 2.5 miles since the year 1500 and it is believed that it will continue to retreat in the foreseeable future.

MENDENHALL GLACIER IN JUNEAU, ALASKA

The spectacular Icefields Parkway that links Jasper and Lake Louise is often called the most scenic highway in the world. This 143-mile parkway got its name from the numerous glaciers that flank its western side. The Columbia Icefield, one of the largest accumulations of snow and ice south of the Arctic Circle, is a gigantic ice mass that feeds eight glaciers. It covers an area five times bigger than Manhattan. The water that melts from these glaciers then flows into rivers and streams that ultimately feed the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. ATHABASCA GLACIER, the most accessible of the glaciers that descend from the Columbia Icefield, was reached by boarding a six-wheel drive Snocoach that took us to the middle of the glacier. Descending from the Snocoach, we walked on water, 1000-feet deep, but frozen solid. Dwarfed by the massive glacier, and chilled by a wind that whipped across the ice, we stood in awe of the seemingly endless river of ice that surrounded us. Within the Icefield Interpretive Centre, located down the road from the glacier, a mini-museum explained the history and geology of glaciers.

ATHABASCA GLACIER ON CANADA’S ICEFIELDS PARKWAY

A chartered catamaran (the complimentary shore excursion on a Silversea cruise) sailed us from Paso Quesahuen, Chile to one of the most breathtaking sites in South America. This magical outing to the LAGUNA SAN RAFAEL GLACIER was a kaleidoscope of the stunning artistry of Mother Nature. This awesome wall of ice was a brilliant spectacle played out in hues of blue and white. The thundering chunks of ice that calved into the lake might well have been crystal sculptures by Lalique, or a pate de verregem executed by Daum Crystal. Magnifico!

LAGUNA SAN RAPHAEL GLACIER

ANTARCTICA is the greatest show on ice. I came, I thawed, I conquered! I came to Antarctica after flying some 30 round-trip hours and cruising some 3000 nautical miles. I traveled below the Equator and beneath the Tropic of Capricorn, sailing the dreaded Drake Passage and crossing the Antarctic Convergence (at approximately 60 degrees south latitude). I came to the bottom of the world. I came to Antarctica, the most hostile continent on earth. I thawed in Antarctica! Leaving the blustery one-digit temperatures of a wintery Northern Hemisphere, I was warmed by the thirty-degree austral summer temperatures of the Southern Hemisphere's continent of ice. I conquered fear in Antarctica! For decades, the world's seventh continent (the only one I had never visited) had been my destination of dreams. And being there was truly a dream come true. This barren, white continent, that thrills the imagination and overwhelms the senses, is a continent of superlatives. While it is the most forbidding, most inaccessible land on earth, it is also the most majestic and most pristine. This harshest, most inhospitable land is also the coldest, the windiest, the highest and the driest. Yet, this unknown southern land, that contains 90% of the world's fresh water and approximately 95% of the world's glacial ice, is the most eerily beautiful continent on earth. In short, Antarctica is the greatest show on ice. If Frank Sinatra were there with us, he'd be obliged to re-title his fifties hit to "I Only Have Ice For You.”

PARADISE BAY, ANTARCTICA

JANET STEINBERG is an award-winning Travel Writer and a Travel Consultant with the Travel Authority in Mariemont, Ohio

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Obamacare: High Deductibles and Higher Premiums

ACA 11:14 PM

Bad news for Obamacare enrollees, reports said that there will be an increase in the out-of-pocket costs for deductibles next year 2016 that will significantly diminish the benefits of consumers health care plans and this will further discourage some from purchasing coverage.

Robert Laszewski, president of Health Policy & Strategy Associates, said “That these deductibles are so high is clearly one of the reasons people aren’t buying a plan—they simply don’t see themselves getting anything for the money.”

People have until the end of the year to enroll themselves for the 3rd season of Obamacare. The government said that there are a lot of plans available with low premiums however, most of those plans requires you to pay huge out of pocket costs before they Obamacare coverage actually kicks in.

The average annual out-of-pocket costs per worker increased nearly 230 percent between 2006 and 2015, according to an annual survey of employer health benefits coverage by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The New York Times report said that majority of the states and more than half the plans being sold on Obamacare insurance exchanges have a deductible of $3,000 or more.

Median deductible in Miami is $5,000. In Jackson, Miss the median deductible is $5,500. Chicago is $3,400. Phoenix $4,000. While in Des Moines, Iowa, it is $3,000.

It is also revealed by the government that Obamacare will not hit their 10 million target by next year. Also another problem hounding the Obamacare is the rising premiums for policies the median rate increase for the lowest priced, most popular “Silver” plan will rise by 11% compared to just a 7% increase in 2015.

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Hearthstone LoE Strategy Guide - The Temple of Orsis

1st wing 11:18 PM

The Temple of Orsis

Personally, I used Dragon Priest to clear the whole 1st wing. After playing, I recommend the following below.

Zinaar

Normal: Draw a card. Give your opponent a Wish.
Heroic: Draw a card. Gain a Mana Crystal. Give your opponent a Wish.

For normal, I guess you can clear with any class. You will have an easy time with Priest, Rogue, Mage and Mill Druid. My son even cleared it with Face Hunter.
For Heroic, I will recommend Flamewaker/Mana Wyrm Spell Mage and Mill Rogue.

Recommended Class: Normal (any class), Heroic (Mage, Rogue, Druid)
Recommended Cards: Flamewaker, Mana Wyrm, Frostbolt, Mirror Image, Ice Lance, Fireball, Flamecannon.

Sun Raider Phaerix

Normal: (Passive) Phaerix is Immune while he controls the Rod of the Sun.
Heroic: The Staff will gain a +3/+3 boost whenever Phaerix has control of it, and the player will not benefit from having control of the Staff.

For normal mode, I played Dragon Priest and it was a breeze. I reckon Deathlord Priest with Divine Shield, Inner Fire, Lightwells, Light of Naaru, Velen's Chosen, Lightwarden, Dark Cultist, Holy Champion, Temple Enforcer and Kel'Thuzad will do the trick. Tip, bring SW:Pain and Death, and Acidic Swarm Ooze.

Recommended Class: Priest
Recommended Cards: Shadow Word: Pain and Death, Deathlord or Sunfury Protector, Divine Spirit, Inner Fire, Lightwell; Silence or Ironbeak Owl, Acidic Swarm Ooze.

Temple Escape

Escape!: Encounter new obstacles! (Every turn)

No opposing Hero health, just minions and 1 trap. Just watch out for Turn 6 - Look out! The ceiling's collapsing!

Recommended Class: Normal (Priest), Heroic (Freeze Mage)
Recommended Cards: All the Freezing spells, Ice Barrier, Ice Block, Doomsayer

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AMAZING PLACE…HOW SWEET THE TOWN

8:00 AM

BY JANET STEINBERG

PART 3 OF A SERIES (South America)

For singers, their song would be “Amazing grace…how sweet the sound”.

For travelers, their song would be "Amazing place...how sweet the town."

Since I am an inveterate traveler, I will sing you my song. So here I go…with my amazing places…some of the sweetest towns in South America.

LIMA, PERU: Peru’s capital city, founded by the Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro in 1535, has a population approaching 9-million.

Plaza Mayor, also known as Plaza de Armas, is center-pieced by an impressive bronze fountain (circa 1651) and surrounded by the Government Palace, Archbishop's Palace of Lima, the Municipal Palace, the Palace of the Union, and the Cathedral of Lima.

Lima reflects the majority of the immense wealth of Peru. Orient Express Hotel’s fabulous Miraflores Park Hotel, precariously perched on a cliff overhanging the Pacific Ocean, is set in the suburb of Miraflores…one of Lima’s most fashionable neighborhoods.

VIEW FROM MIRAFLORES PARK HOTEL

Lima's Indian Market is a short drive Shops and stands offer silver, antiquities and contemporary artworks, by some of Lima’s best artists.

Also in Miraflores is Casa Garcia Alvarado, an impressive, 1912 house constructed when Lima’s upper class began to move their homes away from downtown Lima to Miraflores. The owners now host private lunches or dinners to small groups of visitors seeking exclusive travel experiences in Peru.

When dining in Lima you must try ceviche, the Peruvian national dish, made from fresh raw fish marinated in lemon or lime juice, and spiced with chili peppers, chopped onions, and seasonings. Of course, it must be washed down with a Pisco Sour, the national drink of Peru.

CEVICHE AND A PISCO SOUR…WHAT A PAIR!

SANTIAGO, CHILE: Santiago has become one of the great places to visit in South America. Back-dropped by the majestic Andes Mountains, Chile’s capital is a bustling, vibrant metropolis of 6-million people.

In Santiago, Colonial structures abut soaring   Tangled electric lines, resembling those seen in third-world countries, are reflected in the facades of sleek glass skyscrapers.  Horse-drawn wooden carts click-clack along the same tourist routes as Mercedes limos.

For those whose taste in hotels runs to elegant old-world decor, the Ritz Carlton should be your hotel of choice. If a avant garde lifestyle is your choice, head for the W Hotel.  Both hotels are located in the upscale El Golf neighborhood that is resplendent with its displays of street sculptures and decorated park-like benches scattered along the avenues.

Downtown Santiago is the city’s center of   In the blink of an eye, the historic Plaza de Armas will transport you from Colonial times to the present.  The Plaza de Armas is framed by the National History Museum, the Cathedral of Santiago, the main Correos de Chile (Chilean Post Office) and the Presidential Palace.  Carbineros (policemen on horseback) sit at attention on well-groomed horses; children jump over silvery rain puddles; and dogs splash in the circular granite fountain.

CARBINEROS ON HORSEBACK IN THE PLAZA DE ARMAS

San Cristobal Hill (Cerro San Cristobal) offers a spectacular view of the city. At the bottom of the hill is the Metropolitan Zoo. You can walk, run, bike, or drive to the hilltop. If those options don’t work for you, there are always the telefericos (aerial cable cars) that will zip you up the hill.

ATOP SAN CRISTOBAL HILL

The Central Market (Mercado Central), founded in 1872, is a most popular attraction in Santiago. Evoking the spirit, warmth, and hospitality of Chile, it is surrounded by fish markets and restaurants.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL: “River of January"...like a sensual woman…the mere mention of her name connotes romance and excitement. Before you even arrive you'll feel her anticipatory magic under your skin.

Rio de Janeiro. What remains to be said about a city of fantasy and dreams? "God," say the Brazilians, "made the world in six days. On the seventh he made Rio." Rio is unquestionably one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

APPROACHING RIO (AND SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN) BY SHIP

Exuberant pleasure- loving cariocas will wrap their warmth around you. Exotic siren-like Guanabara Bay, among the most beautiful harbors in the world, will wrap its beaches around you. For cariocas, the native inhabitants of Rio de Janeiro, the beach is their living room. Copacabana...Ipanema...umbrella-studded crescents of sand where beauty meets the beach. Where the bikini swimsuit of the legendary "Garota de Ipanema" ("Girl from Ipanema") was reduced to the string, and the string gave way to a minimalist swimsuit called fila dental (dental floss).

BEAUTY AND THE BEACH

Rio de Janeiro...where one mountain, called Sugar Loaf, res Corcovado (Hunchback), is the jagged lofty perch from which an immense statue of "Cristo Redentor"  (Christ the Redeemer) outstretches his arms above the city.

The carioca's  Rio is one of the few remaining large, cosmopolitan cities that has managed to hold onto its soul. Its traditional customs, sport, music and festivities have managed to survive in the form of Candomble (the African religion of Bahia); futebol  (the sport synonymous with Pele and Maracana Stadium); samba (the pulsating beat in which the music of Brazil reaches its zenith) and Carnaval (the greatest show on earth).

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA: Hola!  Welcome to Buenos Aires (aka B.A.), Argentina's capital city that has been dubbed "The Paris of South America".  Literally translated, this city of "good airs" is eclectic and elegant, seductive and sophisticated, formal and informal, brilliant and shabby, lively and laid back.

This captivating port city of some 15-million people is much more than gauchos (cowboys), portenos (fun-loving locals), and slinky black-garbed tango dancers. It is a heterogeneous taste of Europe on an American continent.

TOURIST TRYS A TANGO…IGNORED BY MIME

The legendary Alvear Palace is B.A.’s true palace and undisputed symbol of the Belle Epoque.  The hotel’s magnificent architecture and its Louis XIV and XVI décor put the Alvear Palace in a class of its own. This jewel in B.A.’s crown enjoys the city’s most enviable location in the posh Recoleta neighborhood.

Cementerio del Norte, or Recoleta Cemetery, is the exclusive burial ground where all portenos would like to be interred.  The cemetery's most visited tomb is that of Eva Duarte Peron. Evita (Don't cry for me, Argentina) Peron died of cancer in 1952 at age 33.

Plaza de Mayo is the square on which The Mothers of May Square met to mourn the loss of some 10,000 children who disappeared during the bloody military regime in the 1970's.   Casa Rosada, the pink government house, stands on the eastern end of the square.  Here, too, is the Cabildo (the colonial town hall-turned-museum), the main Bank of Argentina and the Cathedral.

El Obelisco, the towering granite obelisk, the most photographed symbol of Buenos Aires, is the tour bus driver's most joked about landmark.  "El Obelisco," they quip, “is Argentina's monument to the suppository."

La Boca, with corrugated tin and wood houses in a riotous splash of color, is the city's most picturesque place. At night, San Telmo metamorphoses into a blazing, brightly lit string of tango bars.  However, if you’re looking for the city’s most sophisticated tango show, head to the Hotel Faena for their Rojo Tango, the dinner show.

LA BOCA IS THE CITY’S MOST PICTURESQUE PLACE

Go see for yourself. Argen-times are good times!

JANET STEINBERG is an award-winning Travel Writer, and International Travel Consultant with THE TRAVEL AUTHORITY in Mariemont, Ohio. She is the winner of 41 national Travel Writing Awards.

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CDC has Warn the Public About the Deadly "Kissing Bug?" (Triatomine Bugs)

FIRE AND ICE

GROVE PARK INN, ASHEVILLE, N. CAROLINA

Obamacare: High Deductibles and Higher Premiums

Hearthstone LoE Strategy Guide - The Temple of Orsis

The Temple of Orsis

Zinaar

Sun Raider Phaerix

Temple Escape

AMAZING PLACE…HOW SWEET THE TOWN

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