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West Nile Virus We’re experiencing a seasonal epidemic for West Nile virus, brought on by infected mosquitoes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. West Nile virus can cause serious illness for some people, even leading to death in a small percentage, especially those who have other medical conditions and those who above the age of 50. In 2011, the total number of cases of West Nile virus for the whole year was 712. So far in 2012 the CDC has logged 1,590 cases and 65 deaths. In other words, it’s getting worse, and we need to know how to protect ourselves. A fact sheet from the CDC gives some good advice. Outside your house: Empty any containers that can hold standing water. This can include saucers under flower containers and any pots or buckets. Empty water in birdbaths weekly. It recommends emptying a pet’s outdoor water bowl weekly as well, but I would suggest doing it daily. You don’t want your pet to drink water that might have mosquito larva in it. Inside your house: Make sure all your screens are tight to the window and do not have holes. When you go out: Taking care that you don’t get bit by mosquitoes is probably the most crucial of all the preventions. Wear long sleeves and pants if you’re out when the mosquitoes are most active, which is dawn and dusk. Use an EPA-registered insect repellent. If your community decides to spray for mosquitoes as a way of controlling West Nile virus, take care not to be outdoors when they spray. Keep windows closed. For more information, especially the symptoms, go to the CDC site (www.cdc.gov) and search for West Nile virus, or call it at 1-800232-4636. Matilda Charles regrets that she cannot personally answer reader questions, but will incorporate them into her column whenever possible. Write to her in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475, or send e-mail to columnreply@ gmail.com.
1. Who released “Let Me Take You Dancing,” and when? 2. What stage name did Susan Janet Ballion take? 3. Name the group behind “A Little Bit More” and “When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman.” 4. Which group sounded like the Beatles in their song “Lies”? 5. “Life on Mars?” appeared on what album? 6. Which female singer released “Wonderful Summer,” and when?
[D] 92 [C] 96 SOUTH [S] AK854 [H] 93 [D] Q864 [C] KJ The bidding: South West North East 1 [S] Pass 2 [S] All Pass Opening lead -- king of diamonds.
CONTRACT BRIDGE By Steve Becker BIG SWING ON A SMALL DEAL South dealer. Both sides vulnerable. NORTH [S] 10 9 7 3 [H] K6 [D] 10 5 3 [C] AQ43 WEST [S] J 6 [H] J 10 [D] A K J 7 [C] 10 8 7 5 2 EAST [S] Q2 [H] AQ87542
Consider this deal from a team-of-four match. Only a partscore was involved, but even so, the hand is highly instructive. At the first table, West led the diamond king, East signaling with the nine to indicate a doubleton. West continued with the ace and another diamond, which East ruffed. East could now have saved a trick by cashing the ace of hearts, but instead he returned a trump. Declarer then collected the rest of the tricks. He cashed the A-K of trumps and K-J of clubs, then crossed to dummy with a trump and discarded both his hearts on the A-Q of clubs to finish with 10 tricks and a score of 170 points. At the second table, the defense functioned far more efficiently. Here East played the deuce of diamonds on the king to discourage West from continuing the suit, so West shifted to the jack of hearts at trick two. East cashed the A-Q of hearts and reverted to diamonds by returning the nine. West won with the jack, cashed the ace and continued with the seven. When dummy ruffed with the nine, East overruffed with the queen. Then -- as if declarer had not already suffered enough -- East heartlessly returned a heart, promoting West’s jack of spades into another trump trick. So the declarer at this table went down two -- 200 points -- which was four tricks and 370 points worse than his counterpart had done at the first table. It was not that South had done anything wrong -- he didn’t. It was simply that his opponents did everything right. (c) 2012 King Features Synd., Inc.