Health

Swine Kissing

Note to family and friends: I’m avoiding all swine-kissing competitions.

Mexico’s Calderon Declares Emergency Amid Swine Flu Outbreak

Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared an emergency in his country’s swine flu outbreak, giving him powers to order quarantines and suspend public events.

Authorities have canceled school at all levels in Mexico City and the state of Mexico until further notice, and the government has shut most public and government activities in the area. The emergency decree, published today in the state gazette, gives the president authority to take more action.

I’m posting this from the port city of Guaymas. It’s in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. Which is a long ways from Mexico City.

Nevertheless, I’m avoiding all swine-osculating competitions.

But last night I did eat a hot dog in Empalme. It had a bacon strip or two.

😯

Another Woman

I’m not a woman, so I can’t make a difference for another woman’s heart.

OK, that clarification aside, a four-frame picture story….

Cheerios: Free cholesterol screening

Cheerios: Another woman's heart

Cheerios: Donation code inside

Cheerios: $1 donation code used by Mark Roth

I’m waiting and waiting for www.cheerioshelpinghearts.com to finish loading so I “can make a difference for another woman’s heart.”

still waiting….

I see now it’s a Flash page. I’m on a very slow (31.2 Kbps) dial-up connection. Sorry, no $1 donation for free cholesterol screening this morning.

I was anticipating feeling like a politician — giving away someone else’s money. 😯

On the other hand, politicians get paid to give away others’ money. 🙄

Thankfully, it’s Sunday so I can plan to put some offering money in the collection plate later this morning.

Two Traveler Tips

Global (SIM Card) Cell Provider

Here’s a great service for anyone wanting to keep in touch while traveling abroad. They provide a Global SIM card that can be used with any GSM Tri or Quad band phone to travel just about anywhere in the world. You will save as much as 90% or more on cellular calls while traveling abroad. Best of all they will assign you a local U.S. number to take with you so that friends and family here in the U.S. can easily keep in touch with you without making an International Long Distance call.

Safe water for Pennies

Here’s absolute bacteria and virus protection in a light weight water purifier-filter. This product reportedly provides 5 gallons of safe water from any source in 42 minutes. Using new technology developed for kidney dialysis, these new .02 micron hollow fiber membrane purifiers give 100% protection against bacteria and viruses and they never need replacement! These inexpensive and lightweight water purifiers-filters will revolutionize safe water procurement for anyone traveling overseas. You can also give the lifesaving gift of safe water for an entire village by leaving one after your missions trip.

Peaking at 22

The Hindu reports:

Believe it or not, old age begins at 27, says researchers.

A new study has revealed that many well-known effects of ageing may start decades before the twilight years when old age is often blamed for causing many people to misplace keys, forget a word or lose the train of thought.

In fact, according to the researchers, people’s mental abilities begin to decline from the age of 27 after reaching a peak at 22.

Is that really what the researchers say?

If so, it’s dumb.

If old age begins at 27 and life expectancy is 72 (I picked that number out of my cranial thin air), we spend almost all our adult lives as old people. 😯

Oh hey! Look at that. Old age actually begins at 72, but the researchers were dyslexic! 🙄

Be that as it may, this is a good reminder of what the Creator had recorded in Ecclesiastes Psalm 90:12….

“So teach us to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

Baby, Beware!

This morning, LifeNews is reporting:

President Obama Starts Process of Removing Doctors’ Protections on Abortions

The White House quietly announced on Friday that President Barack Obama is starting the process of overturning protections President Bush put in place to make sure medical staff and centers are not forced to do abortions.

I checked the White House site but didn’t find any mention of it yet.

Pray for My Young Friend

He’s 24 or 25 years old with a wife and three children. He lives in northwest Mexico. I’ve known him since (his) babyhood. His initials are GS.

He has been trying to get help for his back injury from the government hospital. (Such help is supposed to be facilitated by and paid for by his employer.) Neither has been helpful, at least not much at all.

So, after receiving a money gift from up here, he set out to get some tests and opinions from a private (as opposed to a government) specialist.

The specialist can’t proceed without some sort of signed paper from the government hospital. GS went to get that on Monday.

As I understand it, when the government hospital/doctor learned why GS wanted that paper, they changed their tune and said they would help him. (Apparently, the private doctor could get them in big trouble for not helping him.)

So GS was admitted to the government hospital on Monday. He’s still there. He’s afraid of the notorious carelessness and cold-heartedness of so many doctors and nurses in that system. In an earlier “event” with them a year or more ago, they worked on one of his fingers and left it worse. Understandably, he’s very leery of them working on his back (or ruptured disc or cracked vertebra or whatever the issue is).

I texted him for more details a few minutes ago, also asking how he wants us to be praying for him. Here’s my translation of his reply:

It looks like they are going to do some tests on my spine to learn what really is my problem. Pray that God would show Himself in all this.

Thanks,
Mark

Above all, love God!