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News You
Can Use
From Senate Republican Policy Development & Research Office
July 18, 2008
West Nile Virus Update
Since the first 2008 case of West
Nile Virus (WNV) in PA was announced in mid-June, reports continue to hit the
airwaves about mosquito samples testing positive for the virus. The
Pennsylvania Departments of
Health and Environmental Protection want to help you protect yourself from
infection with the virus that reportedly did not exist in the United States
prior to 1999.
Nearly 25,000 mosquito samples have
been collected and 5,716 were tested yielding 12 positive findings across the
state.
PA's West Nile Virus Surveillance Program website includes an interactive
state map representing those affected counties in red. Click on affected
counties for specifics. In addition to results of mosquito testing,
surveillance results for humans, dead birds, and veterinary samples are
represented.
While the number of cases
increases, consult the website to help you determine what you can do to
help prevent the spread of the virus and
how to recognize symptoms of WNV. You will also find
answers to an array of WNV-related questions. Those with medical
emergencies should contact their personal healthcare provider or nearest
emergency room. For more information
explore the site's related links.
Health Clubs & Consumer
Protections
Are the heat and humidity running
you indoors for a cool workout? The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
wants new and existing health club members to take note of their rights under
PA's Consumer Protection Law and
Health Club Act following a rash of
fitness club closings across the state.
Health clubs closed with little or
no advance warning are subject to lawsuits for failing to honor existing
contracts and continuing to collect fees from members, among other charges.
Other violations include a club's lack of a bond or letter-of-credit.
Consumers experiencing problems
with health club memberships are encouraged by the AG's Office to contact its
Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-441-2555 or
file an online consumer complaint.
Screaming for Ice Cream?
If summer weather has you screaming
for ice cream you are in the correct state to fulfill your
dairy desire. Pennsylvania ranks 7th in ice cream production and is rich in
its related history.
According to "Pennsylvania
Pursuits," a quarterly publication from the
PA Tourism Office, "the history of ice cream in Pennsylvania is owed to the
French, who brought the delicious confection to the wealthy founding fathers."
While serving as President in Philadelphia, George Washington paid a large sum
of money for a specific vanilla ice cream recipe. Thomas Jefferson had a
personal recipe for vanilla ice cream, which included egg yolks. "Philadelphia
ice cream" – minus the egg yolks and other additives – eventually became the
epitome of American ice cream.
Some 60 years apart, two
African-Americans residing in PA made a huge impact on the history of ice cream
across the country. In the 1830's, Augustus Jackson, after serving as a White
House chef, moved to Philadelphia where he was credited with inventing the
modern method of ice cream manufacturing. Alfred L. Cralle, another
African-American inventor, settled in Pittsburgh and patented a lever-operated
ice cream scoop so durable and versatile, it is still in use today. In between
those developments came a Philadelphia woman who in 1843 patented the first
hand-cranking ice cream machine.
The history of ice cream in PA is a
blend of hard work and ingenuity. In fact, it was a graduate of Pittsburgh's
School of Pharmacy who is credited with creating the first banana split while
working as an apprentice in a pharmacy in Latrobe.
Sign up for the quarterly publication "Pennsylvania Pursuits" for more
stories that make PA a great place to live, work, and visit. Don't forget to
check the box to receive a free 2008 Pennsylvania Travel Guide along with the
official Pennsylvania highway map. You can also choose to receive VisitPA.com's
monthly tourism email, featuring seasonal highlights, happenings, and travel
ideas.
Don't wait for your next ice cream
cone; go to
Visitpa.com and type "ice cream" into the "Keyword Search Results" box for
hundreds of choices. Find a Victorian-style soda fountain, a 1950's style soda
shoppe, a special creamery from your childhood, or take a trip to a working
dairy for farm fresh ice cream. You can even find a place to play a little
miniature golf to be followed by your choice from among 28 flavors of ice
cream.
Surviving Summer's Heat
The number of heat-related deaths
rises with the temperatures each summer. Young children, older individuals,
people who are overweight, those with heart and breathing problems, and
individuals on certain medications are at greatest risk, according to the PA
Department of Health.
Prevent heat-related illnesses by
following a
series of tips from the Department of Health:
- Begin to
consume fluids before your body signals it is thirsty.
- With
increased fluid intake steer clear of those beverages with caffeine,
alcohol, and high sugar content.
- Avoid cold
drinks which may trigger stomach cramps.
- Wear
lightweight, light-colored, loose-fitting clothing.
- Reschedule
activities for cooler times of the day.
- Take
frequent baths or showers and remain in a cool place.
The
Pennsylvania Department of Aging recommends smaller frequent meals and
avoiding use of the oven at the hottest times of the day. Close shades or
blinds to keep out the sun and heat.
Turn on electric fans for increased
comfort unless temperatures are in the high 90s. Older adults should be aware
that
Pennsylvania's 52 Area Agencies on Aging are ready to assist with a broad
range of services available during dangerously hot weather, including relocating
older adults to cooler locations such as a local church or senior center.
Familiarize yourself with the
3 types of heat-related illness, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat or
sun stroke including the symptoms and the recommended course of first aid for
each.
Responding to Risky Driving
Behaviors
Pennsylvania State Police report the 2008 July 4th holiday period was marred
by those exercising risky driving behavior. Tickets for speeding, failure to
wear seatbelts, children unsecured by safety seats, and those driving under the
influence accounted for 7,670 of the citations issued by PSP.
During the four-day holiday period,
PSP indicate there were 759 crashes, 75 of which were alcohol-related. Two
hundred eighty-nine were injured and 15 others died, three of which were
alcohol-related during that same period.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) is offering a series of
tips on avoiding the challenges or confrontations of an aggressive driver.
Risky behaviors include:
- Running stop
signs and red lights
- Passing on
the right
- Executing
improper or unsafe lane changes
- Hand and
facial gestures
- Screaming
- Honking
- Flashing
headlights
When confronted by aggressive
drivers, NHTSA encourages other motorists to first and foremost make every
attempt to get out of the way. The Agency recommends putting your pride in the
back seat and avoiding any challenges such as speeding up or attempting to
hold-your-own in your travel lane. Avoid eye contact, ignore gestures, and
refuse to return them.
Aggressive drivers should be
reported to the police along with a vehicle description, license number,
location, and direction of travel, as possible. NHTSA also advises stopping a
safe distance from the crash scene if an aggressive driver is involved in a
collision farther down the road. Wait for the police to arrive and report the
driving behavior you witnessed.
23rd Wildlife Art
Show Set for August
Purchase wildlife art and support
the Pennsylvania Game Commission's (PGC) Wildlands Preservation Fund dedicated
to land acquisition during the
23rd Annual Wildlife Art Show set for August 1-3, 2008 at the
Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area.
The free show is set for Friday,
August 1 from 1-6 p.m.; Saturday, August 2 from 9 a.m.–6 p.m.; and Sunday,
August 3 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Hundreds of original paintings and fine-art prints
from some of the best-known wildlife artists in the state will be on display and
available for sale during the event. Proceeds from a drawing to win a selection
of artwork and the individually sold works of art will support the Wildlands
Preservation Fund.
The Middle Creek Wildlife
Management Area consists of 5,000 acres set aside by the PGC for the protection,
propagation, management, preservation, and controlled harvest of wildlife. The
area is populated with
waterfowl and forest and farm wildlife and includes a 400-acre shallow water
lake and a 70-acre impoundment. Contact the Middle Creek Visitor's Center,
located
along Hopeland Road, two miles south
of Kleinfeltersville in Lebanon County, at 717-733-1512 for more information.
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