mosquito watch 2001.

A little too close to home! The first human case of West Nile Virus in the Northeastern US this year has been confirmed. Here's the story of the elderly Staten Island woman who contracted the disease, and here's an outline of when larvicide spraying will take place in Staten Island. Don your masks, kids, if you want to have kids. And if you're feeling a little pneumoniac, call your doctor quick.

Do you know what you're breathing? The Village Voice had this interesting, though perhaps somewhat sensational story a couple of weeks ago on mosquiticide turned deadly neurotoxin!!! The problem was caused by improper storage, and the chemicals were used anyway.

Panicked? Curious? Just want more info? This article has a pretty extensive list of questions and answers about the flavivirus. And here is a FAQ from the NYC DOH. NPR also ran a story about precautions being taken in New York and New Jersey, including the strategic monitoring of seroconversion rates in sentinel chickens. Yes, that's right... sentinel chickens. You can find a link to the Real Audio story here.

a pleasant weekend.

I had a wonderful weekend with my parents. They came to visit and to watch me get my butt kicked at yesterday's regatta. My folks were so cute, all huddled under their giant umbrella, sitting on those campy folding chairs, trying to read their paperbacks between races. Mom's right leg was soaked from poking out from under the umbrella. They were real troopers. My mom yelled from the shore as we rowed past: "Go Matilda from Carnegie Lake!" The girls in my boat made fun of my parade wave as we rowed back to shore after the race.

new dream car... sort of.

First, let me say, I wouldn't buy an electric vehicle. But if I were going to buy one, this would be it:

Link via Saint Caffeine, and by association Tabitha, who linked me last week (and who you can also find right over there on the left).