Cricket

 What A Bitch!

I Didn't Know This About Starfish

 

12 Surprising Facts About Starfish

By Jennifer Kennedy

Starfish (or sea stars) are beautiful marine animals found in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. All starfish resemble stars, and though the most common have only five arms, some of these animals can grow up to 40 arms. The amazing sea creatures—part of a group of animals known as echinoderms—travel using their tube feet. They can regenerate lost limbs and swallow large prey using their unusual stomachs.

Sea Stars Are Not Fish

Although sea stars live underwater and are commonly called "starfish," they are not true fish. They do not have gills, scales, or fins like fish do.

Sea stars also move quite differently from fish. While fish propel themselves with their tails, sea stars have tiny tube feet to help them move along.

Because they are not classified as fish, scientists prefer to call starfish "sea stars."

Sea Stars Are Echinoderms

Sea stars belong to the phylum Echinodermata. That means they are related to sand dollars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, and sea lilies. Overall, this phylum contains approximately 7,000 species.1

Many echinoderms exhibit radial symmetry, meaning their body parts are arranged around a central axis. Many sea stars have five-point radial symmetry because their body has five sections. This means that they do not have an obvious left and right half, only a top side and a bottom side. Echinoderms also usually have spines, which are less pronounced in sea stars than they are in other organisms such as sea urchins.

There Are Thousands of Sea Star Species

There are about 2,000 species of sea stars.2 Some live in the intertidal zone, while others live in the deep water of the ocean. While many species live in tropical areas, sea stars can also be found in cold areas—even the polar regions.

Not All Sea Stars Have Five Arms

While many people are most familiar with the five-armed species of sea stars, not all sea stars have just five arms. Some species have many more, such as the sun star, which can have up to 40 arms. 

Sea Stars Can Regenerate Arms

Amazingly, sea stars can regenerate lost arms, which is useful if a sea star is injured by a predator. It can lose an arm, escape, and grow a new arm later.

Sea stars house most of their vital organs in their arms. This means that some species can even regenerate an entirely new sea star from just one arm and a portion of the star's central disc. This won't happen too quickly, though; it takes about a year for an arm to grow back.

Sea Stars Are Protected by Armor

Depending on the species, a sea star's skin may feel leathery or slightly prickly. Sea stars have a tough covering on their upper side, which is made up of plates of calcium carbonate with tiny spines on their surface.

A sea star's spines are used for protection from predators, which include birds, fish, and sea otters. One very spiny sea star is the aptly named crown-of-thorns starfish.

Sea Stars Do Not Have Blood

Instead of blood, sea stars have a circulatory system made up primarily of seawater.

Seawater is pumped into the animal's water vascular system through its sieve plate. This is a sort of trap door called a madreporite, often visible as a light-colored spot on the top of the starfish.

From the madreporite, seawater moves into the sea star's tube feet, causing the arm to extend. Muscles within the tube feet are used to retract the limb.

Sea Stars Move Using Their Tube Feet

Sea stars move using hundreds of tube feet located on their underside. The tube feet are filled with seawater, which the sea star brings in through the madreporite on its top side.

Sea stars can move quicker than you might expect. If you get a chance, visit a tide pool or aquarium and take a moment to watch a sea star moving around. It is one of the most amazing sights in the ocean.

Tube feet also help the sea star hold its prey, including clams and mussels.

Sea Stars Eat With Their Stomachs Inside-Out

Sea stars prey on bivalves like mussels and clams as well as small fish, snails, and barnacles. If you've ever tried to pry the shell of a clam or mussel open, you know how difficult it is. However, sea stars have a unique way of eating these creatures.

A sea star's mouth is on its underside. When it catches its food, the sea star will wrap its arms around the animal's shell and pull it open just slightly. Then it does something amazing: the sea star pushes its stomach through its mouth and into the bivalve's shell. It then digests the animal and slides its stomach back into its own body.

This unique feeding mechanism allows the sea star to eat larger prey than it would otherwise be able to fit into its tiny mouth.

Sea Stars Have Eyes

Many people are surprised to learn that starfish have eyes. It's true. The eyes are there—just not in the place you would expect.

Sea stars have an eye spot at the end of each arm. This means that a five-armed sea star has five eyes, while the 40-armed sun star has 40 eyes.

Each sea star eye is very simple and looks like a red spot. It doesn't see much detail but it can sense light and dark, which is just enough for the environments the animals live in.

All True Starfish Are in the Class Asteroidea

Starfish belong to the animal class Asteroidea. These echinoderms all have several arms arranged around a central disk.

Asteroidea is the classification for "true stars." These animals are in a separate class from brittle stars and basket stars, which have a more defined separation between their arms and their central disk.

Sea Stars Have Two Ways to Reproduce

Male and female sea stars are hard to tell apart because they look identical. While many animal species reproduce using only one method, sea stars are a little different.

Sea stars can reproduce sexually. They do this by releasing sperm and eggs (called gametes) into the water. The sperm fertilizes the gametes and produces swimming larvae, which eventually settle on the ocean floor, growing into adult sea stars.

Sea stars can also reproduce asexually through regeneration, which is what happens when the animals lose an arm. -Thought

GUNS

 GUNS IN AMERICA

The NRA is part of the problem

Politicians (Mainly Republicans) cater to the NRA. In return, 

gun control will  never see the light of day.

We must stand up! Otherwise more children will needlessly die.

              Here's The Deal                   

>Ban assault weapons.

>Expand universal background check.

>Undergo psychiatric evaluation.

>Purchase gun insurance.

>>> The Right To Own Guns Doesn't Give You The Right To Kill <<<.

IT'S TIME FOR REAL CHANGE!

!! VOTE !!

Bon Appetit

There Are Many Great Local Restaurants.

This Happens To Be One Of Them.

 If you have no faults - cast the first stone!

There are thousands of individuals charged with sexual crimes

who are innocent yet wrongly convicted.

 Love this picture!

Sometimes I feel like this picture ...

Empty and lost.

Ukraine—My Take

 War! What is it good for?

People are sheltering in place, thousands are on the move, bombs are falling, thus far hundreds have now died, Russia is in full swing in taking over Ukraine. And it appears (which I've read about a time back)  that Putin has got his eyes on Europe.

In light of the Ukrainian circumstances, our government along with our allies, have put monetary sanctions against Putin's gang. These sanctions will also affect the Russian citizens.

Here in America, we are going to face higher prices, shortages, and possibly cyberattacks to try and cripple our economy. So like it or not, the world will in one way or another, be drawn into the war. This war will have worldwide effects on all of our lives.

The horror of this war will be thousands of Ukrainians will die or be tortured. Obviously, Putin cares less about international law, the sovereignty of another country, or human life. The blood of Ukrainians is on Putin's hands and for this, he should be brought before the Hague charged with war crimes.

Pray for the failure of Putin's government and especially for the Ukrainian people.

Chicken Bone Beach (1900- )

 By Ronald J. Stephens

Located on the long stretch of the Atlantic City, New Jersey, shoreline just south of downtown, Chicken Bone Beach was designated as the exclusively African American section of beach around 1900.  It remained a blacks only beach until the 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed.  During the segregation era, the beach provided recreation and later stellar entertainment for African Americans, both tourists and local residents.  Ironically, before 1900 blacks and whites in Atlantic City lived side-by-side and African Americans used the beaches without restriction.  By 1900 hotel owners pushed black beach-goers from the fronts of their establishments down to the Missouri Avenue beach south of the Million Dollar Pier.  This move was done to appease a growing number hotel guests from the Jim Crow South.

By the 1940s, black entrepreneurs began to provide entertainment during the summer evenings. Leading black performers such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Louis Jordan, the Mills Brothers, Jackie “Moms” Mabley, and the Club Harlem showgirls, staged shows for black tourists and local residents. The showgirls dubbed the beach “Sunshine Row” and soon began attracting other visitors by alternately sunbathing and putting on brief skits.  Visits from prominent figures such as Sugar Ray Robinson and singer, Peggy Thomas, added to Chicken Bone Beach’s growing mystique.

Despite the glitz of headline entertainers and showgirls, Chicken Bone Beach remained a family-oriented beach which served the needs of working class Atlantic City.  Family members, friends, and neighbors cared for all the children who spent the day at the beach while their parents worked in the tourist industry.

The nickname, Chicken Bone Beach, derived affectionately from the tradition of the thousands of vacationing families who flocked to the shore bringing beach balls, umbrellas and blankets for ocean-side fun and picnic baskets with fried chicken and other delights for seaside dining.  When they finished eating, they buried the chicken bones in the sand.

With the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, all Atlantic City beaches were open to everyone and this all-black beach disappeared.  By the 1970s Casinos further changed the culture of the beach by making Atlantic City into a world class resort which in turn limited access to all working class families. To protect this endangered African American heritage site, the Atlantic City Council passed an ordinance in 1997, declaring Chicken Bone Beach (also known as the Missouri Avenue Beach) into an historical landmark.

Today, the Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation promotes heritage pride through annual summer jazz concerts including the Chicken Bone Beach–Jazz on the Beach Concert Series that commemorates the era’s earlier block party atmosphere. For nearly two decades concert series have occurred at the Kennedy Plaza stage on Boardwalk between Mississippi and Georgia Avenue in July and August, presented by the foundation and the Atlantic City Free Public Library, along with other partners. –Black Past

Reflection

 Using Religion To Not Vaccinate?

Prove To Me Where Your God Said

It’s Ok To Infect And Kill.

Did You Change Your Underwear Today? Yesterday??

 According to the results of a recent study conducted by the clothing company Tommy John, nearly half of all Americans don’t change their underwear daily. Forty-five percent of participants told the company that they regularly wear the same pair for two or more days.

The study also ran entire week without washing them. For those of you who are keeping track, that’s approximately 13 percent of the sample size.

The results also confirmed men wore the same undies for multiple days more often than women. In fact, they were 2.5 times more likely than women to wear their undies for a whole week without a refresh.

Tommy John cited a 2017 study from the magazine Good Housekeeping that stated that “clean underwear can contain up to 10,000 living bacteria, even after being washed.”

“Over time, underwear accumulates various types of problematic microorganisms and fungal germs that can increase your susceptibility to certain illnesses, like yeast infections and urinary tract infections, among others,” the brand said. –Gayety

N.J. Measles Outbreak

By Jeff Goldman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The measles outbreak in New Jersey has spread to a second county and the number of confirmed cases this year has climbed to 11 as health officials nationally continue to express concerns about the rapid rise in infections.

Seven of the cases are in Ocean County with two more in Monmouth County, health officials said. Two other cases were reported previously in Bergen and Essex counties.

Health officials have listed a dozen locations including Newark Airport, Monmouth Medical Center and locations around Lakewood where people could have been exposed to measles.

An unidentified “adult male from Ocean County” visited locations in Lakewood’s houses of worship, a wedding venue, and yeshiva while infected with measles between March 9 and March 14 and may have exposed others, according to the New Jersey Department of Health. The state declared an outbreak on March 15.

The most recent outbreak is the second in the state over the past six months. The first outbreak sickened 33 people in Ocean and Passaic counties starting in October before it was declared over in January.

The continued spread in New Jersey comes as national cases of measles through the first three months of 2019 has already exceeded last year’s total, according to the Centers for Disease Control. There have been 387 cases through March 28, the CDC reported.

Officials in Rockland County, New York, just north of Bergen County, have banned unvaccinated minors from public places as they attempt to fight a measles outbreak that has infected more than 150 people since October. The county is experiencing New York state’s longest measles outbreak since the disease was officially eliminated from the United States in 2000. Health officials say the best way to stop the disease’s spread is a high vaccination rate in the community.

A federal judge last month denied a request from parents to let 44 unvaccinated children return to the Waldorf School in Rockland County.

People can become ill from measles from 5 to 21 days after being exposed to the virus. Measles symptoms vary but can include high fever, cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes, and a rash.

If contracted, the virus can result in ear infections, pneumonia, swelling of the brain, miscarriage in pregnant women, and even death, particularly for children, according to health officials.

For every 1,000 children who get measles, one or two will die.

If you received the two recommended doses of the measles vaccine as a child, you are considered protected for life and do not need a booster, according to the CDC.

Anyone who visited the following locations may have been exposed to measles:

• Congregation Bais Tefilla, 33 East 8th St, Lakewood (March 9, 2019 from 8:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.; March 10 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; March 11 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.; March 13 from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.; March 14 from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.)
• Beth Medrash Govoha, Bais Yitzchok Hall, Lakewood (March 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; March 11 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m; March 13 from 12:45 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
• Beth Medrash Govoha, Yoshon Hall, Lakewood (March 10 from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; March 11 from 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; March 12 from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
• Beth Hamedrash Zichron Binyomin, 701 Princeton Ave, Lakewood (March 9 from 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; March 10 from 9:30 p.m. to midnight; March 11 from 9:30 p.m. to midnight; March 13 from 10:45 p.m. to 1:15 a.m. March 14)
• Lake Terrace Hall, 1690 Oak St, Lakewood (March 11 from 10 p.m. to 12:45 a.m. (March 12)
• Kol Shimshon, 323 Squankum Rd, Lakewood (March 12 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.; March 12 from 9 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.)
• Bais Medrash Tiferes Pinchos, East 5th St and Negba S.t, Lakewood (March 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.)
• Newark Liberty International Airport, Terminal B (March 14 from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (March 15)
• Tottini Kidswear, 204 Clifton Ave, Lakewood (March 10 from 12 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
• Clover, 115 Clifton Ave., Lakewood (March 10 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
• Kidichic, 251 2nd St, Lakewood (March 10 from 1:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
• Monmouth Medical Center, Emergency Department, Long Branch (March 13 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m.)

-NJ.com

Let's not forget, Trump comes from a background in which racism and affiliation with the KKK was the norm.

To say he's not a racist or doesn't harbor racist thoughts would be an understatement. Through his actions, he has enacted racist policies and refuses to denounce racist hate here in the homeland let alone in the world.

As the good book says; "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Matt 7:20

Racist Christians have come out of the closet!

Even if I were straight, I'd get my ass our of religion.

Here's My Thought

“O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.” – Psalm 139:1-3

****

“See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;” Isaiah 49:16

****

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;Before you were born I sanctified you;” – Jeremiah 1:5

One of several reasons I gave up on religion!

God foresaw my journey before I took my first step into life.

I am wonderfully and gayly created.

Oh!, as for today's religion, oh hell to the no!

Mitomycin

 

 

 

 

(mye-toe-MYE-sin)

Trade name:  Mutamycin®
Other names:  Mitomycin-C, MTC

Chemocare.com uses generic names in all descriptions of drugs. Mutamycin is the trade name for mitomycin. MTC and Mitomycin-C are other names for mitomycin. In some cases, health care professionals may use the trade name mutamycin or other names MTC or Mitomycin-C when referring to the generic drug name mitomycin.

Drug type: Mitomycin is an anti-cancer ("antineoplastic" or "cytotoxic") chemotherapy drug.  This medication is classified as an "antitumor antibiotic."  (For more detail, see "How this drug works" section below).

What Mitomycin Is Used For:

• Treatment of adenocarcinoma of the stomach or pancreas.
• Also used in treatment of anal, bladder, breast, cervical, colorectal, head and neck, and non-small cell lung cancer.

Note:  If a drug has been approved for one use, physicians may elect to use this same drug for other problems if they believe it may be helpful.

How Mitomycin Is Given:

• As an injection or infusion into the vein (intravenous, IV).
• Mitomycin is a vesicant.  A vesicant is a chemical that causes extensive tissue damage and blistering if it escapes from the vein.  The nurse or doctor who gives this drug must be carefully trained.  If you notice redness or swelling at the IV site while you are receiving mitomycin, alert your health care professional immediately.
• As an intravesicle infusion to treat superficial bladder cancer (cancer on the surface of the bladder wall).  This means it is given directly into the bladder through a urinary catheter.  The urinary catheter is inserted through the urethra (the tube which carries urine from the bladder to the outside the body).  The mitomycin solution is injected into the catheter, which is then removed.  Normal walking around helps to disperse the medication throughout the bladder.  The medication is left in for about 2 hours, after which the patient then empties the bladder (urinates).
• There is no pill form of mitomycin.
• The amount of mitomycin that you will receive depends on many factors, including your height and weight, your general health or other health problems, and the type of cancer or condition being treated.  Your doctor will determine your dose, schedule, and the method it will be given.

Side Effects:

Important things to remember about the side effects of mitomycin:

• Most people do not experience all of the side effects listed.
• Side effects are often predictable in terms of their onset and duration. 
• Side effects are almost always reversible and will go away after treatment is complete.
• There are many options to help minimize or prevent side effects.
• There is no relationship between the presence or severity of side effects and the effectiveness of the medication.
• The side effects of mitomycin and their severity depend on how much of the drug is given, and how it is given. In other words, high doses may produce more severe side effects, or if it is given directly into the bladder the side effects will be localized to the bladder.

The following side effects are common (occurring in greater than 30%) for patients taking mitomycin:

• Low blood counts.  Your white and red blood cells and platelets may temporarily decrease.  This can put you at increased risk for infection, anemia and/or bleeding.  The nadir counts are delayed with this drug.

Nadir: Meaning low point, nadir is the point in time between chemotherapy cycles in which you experience low blood counts.

Onset: 3 weeks
Nadir: 4-6 weeks
Recovery: 6-8 weeks

• Mouth sores
• Poor appetite
• Fatigue

These side effects are less common side effects (occurring in about 10-29%) of patients receiving mitomycin:

• Nausea and vomiting, usually mild
• Diarrhea
• Hair loss
• Bladder inflammation (urinary frequency, burning, cramping, pain) - seen with intravesical (into the bladder) therapy.

These are rare but serious complications of mitomycin therapy:

• Lung problems: pneumonitis, rarely pulmonary fibrosis.  The incidence of lung problems increases with age and pre-existing lung conditions.  There is a maximum lifetime dose of mitomycin.  Your health care professional will monitor the amount of mitomycin you receive as well as your lung function during treatment.
• Hemolytic-uremic syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by destruction of red blood cells, damage to the lining of blood vessel walls, and, in severe cases, kidney failure.  This is a rare event seen in less than 2 % of patients treated with mitomycin, it can occur at any time but usually seen after several cycles of therapy.  Your health care provider will monitor your blood tests for early signs of this condition.

Not all side effects are listed above. Some that are rare (occurring in less than 10% of patients) are not listed here.  However, you should always inform your health care provider if you experience any unusual symptoms.

When to contact your doctor or health care provider:

Contact your health care provider immediately, day or night, if you should experience any of the following symptoms:

• Fever of 100.4° F (38° C) or higher, chills (possible signs of infection)

The following symptoms require medical attention, but are not an emergency.  Contact your health care provider within 24 hours of noticing any of the following:

• Nausea (interferes with ability to eat and unrelieved with prescribed medication)
• Vomiting (vomiting more than 4-5 times in a 24 hour period)
• Mouth sores (painful redness, swelling or ulcers)
• Diarrhea (4-6 episodes in a 24-hour period)
• Unusual bleeding or bruising
• Black or tarry stools, or blood in your stools
• Extreme fatigue (unable to carry on self-care activities)
• Blood in the urine
• Pain or burning with urination
• Swelling of the feet or ankles.  Sudden weight gain. Shortness of breath.
• Signs of infection such as redness or swelling, pain on swallowing, coughing up mucous, or painful urination.

Always inform your health care provider if you experience any unusual symptoms.

Precautions:

• Before starting mitomycin treatment, make sure you tell your doctor about any other medications you are taking (including prescription, over-the-counter, vitamins, herbal remedies, etc.).   Do not take aspirin, or products containing aspirin unless your doctor specifically permits this.
• Do not receive any kind of immunization or vaccination without your doctor's approval while taking mitomycin.
• Inform your health care professional if you are pregnant or may be pregnant prior to starting this treatment.  Pregnancy category D (mitomycin may be hazardous to the fetus.  Women who are pregnant or become pregnant must be advised of the potential hazard to the fetus).
• For both men and women: Do not conceive a child (get pregnant) while taking mitomycin. Barrier methods of contraception, such as condoms, are recommended. Discuss with your doctor when you may safely become pregnant or conceive a child after therapy.
• Do not breast feed while taking this medication.

Self-Care Tips:

• Apply ice if you have any pain, redness or swelling at the IV site, and notify your doctor. 
• Drink at least two to three quarts of fluid every 24 hours, unless you are instructed otherwise.
• You may be at risk of infection so try to avoid crowds or people with colds and those not feeling well, and report fever or any other signs of infection immediately to your health care provider.
• Wash your hands often.
• To help treat/prevent mouth sores, use a soft toothbrush, and rinse three times a day with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of baking soda and/or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt mixed with 8 ounces of water.
• Use an electric razor and a soft toothbrush to minimize bleeding.
• Avoid contact sports or activities that could cause injury.
• To reduce nausea, take anti-nausea medications as prescribed by your doctor, and eat small, frequent meals. 
• Avoid sun exposure.  Wear SPF 15 (or higher) sunblock and protective clothing.
• In general, drinking alcoholic beverages should be kept to a minimum or avoided completely.  You should discuss this with your doctor.
• Get plenty of rest. 
• Maintain good nutrition.
• If you experience symptoms or side effects, be sure to discuss them with your health care team.  They can prescribe medications and/or offer other suggestions that are effective in managing such problems.

Monitoring and Testing:

You will be checked regularly by your health care professional while you are taking mitomycin, to monitor side effects and check your response to therapy.  Periodic blood work to monitor your complete blood count (CBC) as well as the function of other organs (such as your kidneys and liver) will also be ordered by your doctor.   

How Mitomycin Works:

Cancerous tumors are characterized by cell division, which is no longer controlled as it is in normal tissue.   "Normal" cells stop dividing when they come into contact with like cells, a mechanism known as contact inhibition.  Cancerous cells lose this ability.  Cancer cells no longer have the normal checks and balances in place that control and limit cell division.  The process of cell division, whether normal or cancerous cells, is through the cell cycle.  The cell cycle goes from the resting phase, through active growing phases, and then to mitosis (division).

The ability of chemotherapy to kill cancer cells depends on its ability to halt cell division.  Usually, the drugs work by damaging the RNA or DNA that tells the cell how to copy itself in division.  If the cells are unable to divide, they die.  The faster the cells are dividing, the more likely it is that chemotherapy will kill the cells, causing the tumor to shrink.  They also induce cell suicide (self-death or apoptosis).

Chemotherapy drugs that affect cells only when they are dividing are called cell-cycle specific.  Chemotherapy drugs that affect cells when they are at rest are called cell-cycle non-specific.  The scheduling of chemotherapy is set based on the type of cells, rate at which they divide, and the time at which a given drug is likely to be effective.  This is why chemotherapy is typically given in cycles.

Chemotherapy is most effective at killing cells that are rapidly dividing.  Unfortunately, chemotherapy does not know the difference between the cancerous cells and the normal cells. The "normal" cells will grow back and be healthy but in the meantime, side effects occur.  The "normal" cells most commonly affected by chemotherapy are the blood cells, the cells in the mouth, stomach and bowel, and the hair follicles; resulting in low blood counts, mouth sores, nausea, diarrhea, and/or hair loss.  Different drugs may affect different parts of the body.

Mitomycin is classified as an antitumor antibiotic.  Antitumor antibiotics are made from natural products produced by species of the soil fungus Streptomyces.  These drugs act during multiple phases of the cell cycle and are considered cell-cycle specific.  There are several types of antitumor antibiotics:

• Anthracyclines:  Doxorubicin, Daunorubicin, Mitoxantrone, and Idarubicin. Chromomycins:  Dactinomycin and Plicamycin.
• Miscellaneous:  Mitomycin and Bleomycin.

Note:  We strongly encourage you to talk with your health care professional about your specific medical condition and treatments. The information contained in this website is meant to be helpful and educational, but is not a substitute for medical advice. -Chemo Care

Is Cape May Below the Mason-Dixon Line?

By Vince Conti

CAPE MAY - A recent Herald article on a planned Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May contained the observation about the Chalfonte Hotel that “For years, a meal in the hotel’s Magnolia Room made clear Cape May’s location below the Mason-Dixon Line.” An alert reader, Francis Smith, wrote the paper to point out a historical inaccuracy, stating that “the Mason-Dixon Line never crossed into New Jersey.”

The famous line dates to the colonial period. Between 1763 and 1767, a survey by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon worked to resolve a border dispute between Maryland and Pennsylvania. Later, the line named for the two men became a symbolic demarcation point between the north and south in the decades leading to and following the Civil War.

So, why is Cape May often said to be below the Mason-Dixon? It is a matter of language, custom and a history in which the county’s namesake resort city was a frequent vacation destination for visitors from the southern states.

A 1996 New York Times travel story on the resort spoke of Cape May as “dangling into the Delaware Bay just below the Mason-Dixon Line.” A New Jersey Leisure Guide notes that the oldest seaside resort in the country is “located below the Mason-Dixon Line."

The "Family Travel Network" boasts that Cape May, “located just below the Mason-Dixon Line,” offers a “southern style of hospitality.” Even Britain’s "Daily Mail" speaks of charming Cape May “below the Mason-Dixon Line.”

The historical facts support the claim that the Mason-Dixon Line had nothing to do with the Garden State.

Yet as the food and travel magazine "Saveur" put it in 2016, Cape May is “a town with abiding Southern roots” dating to the days before highways when the resort was equally accessible by steamboat from Virginia and Maryland.

"Saveur" tells its readers that Cape May is “comfortably below the Mason-Dixon Line” and in the minds of many, that is where it has always been. -Herald

Second State To Require That Schools Teach LGBT History

By Hannan Adely

New Jersey has become the second state in the nation after California to adopt a law that requires schools to teach about LGBT history in a move hailed by civil rights groups as a step toward inclusion and fairness.

Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat who promised to promote equality for gay and transgender people during his campaign, signed the bill Thursday. Among those celebrating the news was Jaime Bruesehoff, of Vernon, whose 12-year-old transgender child Rebekah spoke in support of the bill in Trenton in December.

“This bill is so important for our young people,” Bruesehoff said. “They need to see examples of themselves in the history being taught and in classes they are going to each day. We know representation matters.”

“By learning about LGBTQ people who have made amazing contributions to their country, they are seeing possibilities for themselves and hope for the future,” she said.

Under the measure, public schools must include lessons about the political, economic and social contributions of individuals who are gay and transgender, starting in the 2020-21 school year. The bill also requires teaching about the contributions of people who are disabled. 

The law does not apply to private schools.

Leaders of civil rights and advocacy groups said the law will give students a fuller history of the United States, promote understanding and help children feel included in school.

“Our youth deserve to see how diverse American history truly is — and how they can be a part of it one day, too,” said Christian Fuscarino, executive director of the advocacy group Garden State Equality.

Concerns about bullying, parents' rights

Conservative organizations have opposed proposals to teach gay and transgender history, saying such requirements take away power from parents and may encourage kids to question their sexuality. 

Len Deo, president of the New Jersey Family Policy Council, said he opposed the bill because it infringed on parents’ rights.

“We believe it further erodes the right of parents to discuss this sensitive issue with their children if in fact, schools are going to be promoting and making the claim that this particular person was an LGBTQ member,” he said.

Deo said individuals should be included in lessons based on achievements without discussion of sexual orientation. He noted that New Jersey already has what many education experts consider the strongest anti-bullying law in the country.

Despite the 2011 anti-bullying law, many students in New Jersey still say they feel harassed, targeted and unsupported at school because of their sexual orientation or the way they express their gender, according to findings of a survey released last month by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, or GLSEN.

By teaching about lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual communities in schools, students will feel more connected, which will help their mental health and ability to learn, said Kathryn Dixon, Northern New Jersey policy coordinator for GLSEN.

“It fosters respect and connectivity and develops a culture and climate where everyone feels safe,” she said.

The lessons shouldn’t be confined to the history of the gay rights movement, Dixon added. Rather, schools should also include everyday examples of LGBT individuals and families across subjects. 

New Jersey’s inclusive agenda

The New Jersey law was modeled after one that took effect in California in 2012.  It’s one of several measures that the Murphy administration has backed or approved for LGBT rights.

In September, New Jersey issued guidance to schools that were designed to promote transgender-friendly policies on the use of names and pronouns, participation in activities, use of facilities and student records.

One of 11 states with similar policies, New Jersey's is considered the most progressive because it tells schools that gender identity should rest with the student and that parents don't need to be notified.

And on Feb. 1, a law went into effect that lets transgender residents more easily change the gender on their birth certificates while also adding a third, gender-neutral option. –North Jersey

Remember how the Republicans treated Obama? Watch! Now that we have a Muslim Representative, she's going to inherit the same treatment from the party. And now it's spreading like a virus on FaceBook. It's no longer about what she's saying. It's now about the fact that Muslim's are infiltrating our Government. Really?

If you want an all-white "privileged" Protestant government you're now on the wrong side of history. It's 2019 for christ sakes! But white America is still mentally back in the dark ages, course trump isn't helping matters either, and that's why racism runs rampant in today's society. Sad that we've not progressed past judging someone because of one's color, sexual orientation, and religion. I wonder how Jesus views this issue? Just saying!

Vaccinations should be mandatory

regardless of religious beliefs in every state!

Socialism

"American Style"?

It's already a part of our society and I benefit from it.

So do you! 

Open The Government!

America's Security and Economics Is At Risk.

Closed for 27 Days! ... It's Now Ridiculous!