Or so it might have been, dissing the bald eagle, had Ben Franklin had his way. Bad call, Ben - turkeys cannot soar; they can't even skip! Hard to imagine this "majestic" avian inspiring much beyond a heavy meal.

Not to worry: sedative hormones aplenty in our new "ZZZs, Dreams & Melatonin" neckwear. . .and guaranteed to make your neck look considerably better than our gobbleacious friend!

We're conflicted. In dueling reports, scientists have found that annual flu shots DO/DO NOT (choose one) benefit people 65 and over. A report in the October Lancet journal reaches a "we dunno" conclusion, citing "insufficient evidence base to determine magnitude of the mortality benefit, if any." However, a team of Dept of Veterans Affairs scientists has found that flu vaccination does help reduce wintertime deaths - for ANY reason - not just from influenza. Calling the deaths "all cause" mortalities, the scientists theorize that "flu might serve as an additional burden in people already encumbered by chronic conditions, which could lead to a higher death rate in the unvaccinated."

Whatever! Reduce seasonal stress by swathing yourself in one of our new Immunization neckwearables, featuring the reconstituted strain of 1918 influenza with complementary "vaccinatory highlights." Original images courtesy of Cynthia Goldsmith, Dr. Terence Tumpey and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We've been harping for a hundred years about the dangers of antibiotic resistance, with special attention to our staphylococcus skinnies. While HOSPITAL-acquired (HA) infection by Methicillin resistant strains has long been an issue, we're now seeing more media awareness about the threat from COMMUNITY-acquired (CA) strains - think schools gyms, prisons, locker rooms. CDC estimates that in 2005, 94K Americans became seriously ill, and over 19K died from MRSA. 14% of those resistant staph infections were reportedly not linked at all to medical facilities. The grim reality is that once Methicillin is overwhelmed, we will be left with only one last big gun - Vancomycin - which is already showing some signs of resistance.

Check out the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics (APUA) for up-to-date facts on antibiotic resistance and a blue print for proactive prevention. APUA.org

And on the lighter side, also check out our non-resistable STAPH/MRSA design, featuring a spot-on re-creation of the mutation process common to this all-too-real world of conspiring contagions.

Researchers at a university lab in Buenos Aires studying the relationship between jet lag and use of Viagra, found that hamsters given the anti-impotence drug needed 50% less time to recover from a six hour time zone change. No mention of frequent flyer miles. The mental images surrounding this bit of information are disturbing. . .but IA continues to remain on the cutting edge of pertinent science!

Prior to 9/11, "BioDefense" was pretty much limited to a strictly controlled, full-body suited, containment lab-ed enterprise housed in some seriously serious government facilities. Oops. . ., that was before anthrax spores became the direct mail gift that keeps on giving! Responding to the new threat, the NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) expanded its research and funding arms to include hundreds of university and research labs nationwide. It's now estimated that there are nearly 14,000 workers doodling with "select agents" such as Ebola, anthrax, Marburg, smallpox and a variety of other charmers.

The problem: "There are no clear rules about training, ability or orientation of the labs to handle these matters," according to the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce committee. The result: sloppy inventories, spotty access records, inconsistent monitoring,and over 100 "accidents" involving anthrax, tularemia, brucella, Q Fever and others. We don't even know what Q Fever is...but it does not sound like the stuff of a Happy Holiday!

Here are some IA "special agents" that come with a "warning" label, a cautionary wink and a plea for someone to GET A GRIP!!!

Scarves available, too.

The SDA (Soap and Detergent Association) 2007 Survey and Report Card on Handwashing Habits reveals some unappetizing stats. On the positive side, school nurses averaged a B+ grade, claiming to wash hands after nearly every bathroom use, and a majority of the time after sneezing, coughing and before meals. At the other end of the ickter scale are D+ DADS, 17% of whom report NEVER washing after sneezing, 31% never prior to eating, and 11% never after bathroom runs. The lowest grades were reserved for students, a full 22 % who claimed to be bathroom challenged. TRIPLE these percentages (AT LEAST) and you probably have an accurate picture of the great unwashed.

For a list of those driven over the phobic edge by stats like these, here's a link to some of your favorite Germophobes:

"Uses non-latex glove"

17 Plushy designs to complement the IA neckwear collection. For three-bies and older, great stocking stuffers and educational tools.

Dermatophagoides - aka Dust Mite. Among the few, the proud, the truly ugly!

APHA:
American Public Health Association; Washington, D.C.; November 5-8, 2007. BOOTH 803: Front and Center.

New 2008 brochures launch Oct 30. Let us know if you haven't received yours by mid-November.