The link I posted yesterday about this lab in Chester county was in the Philadephia Inquirrer now they know very little about this disease But they did notice it's on the decline in New Jersey and Pennsylvania here's the article not a word about robins.Sarah Posted on Mon, Aug. 01, 2005 A new lab is dedicated to disease on the decline Pa. scientists take a closer look at West Nile virus. By Dawn Fallik Inquirer Staff Writer At Pennsylvania's new West Nile virus lab, they unpacked the microscopes first. The team of environmental biologists, entomologists, and summer interns moved into the new digs in Harrisburg in June, just as the virus season began to hit. Almost two months later, there are still a few unpacked boxes waiting in the conference room, but there's no time to dig through them. The mosquitoes have started arriving. They come in coolers packed with dry ice - thousands of mosquitoes in jars - red caps for adults, green for larvae. They come from the counties, where officials hope to get a head's up on any impending outbreaks. So far, so good. "There's only been one human case, in York County," and five positive mosquito pools, said Andy Kyle, the head of vector management for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. It's only been six years since West Nile virus first appeared in New York City, and scientists have not figured out what to expect from the disease. In New Jersey, there were 34 human cases in 2003, but last year only one. As of last week, eight mosquito pools tested positive, including one in Atlantic and one in Burlington County, but no human cases. In Pennsylvania, there were 237 human cases two years ago, the highest in the five years since the virus hit Pennsylvania. Last year there were 15. So why have a West Nile virus program when so few people are being infected with the disease? Because who knows when and if it will return, said Kyle. "We don't know if what we're doing as far as mosquito control is the reason it hasn't come back," he said. The $7 million Pennsylvania budget goes to the counties for larvacide, equipment and personnel, Kyle said. In New Jersey, the counties have their own budgets, which total about $12 million, including the state's $1.5 million. Starting in June, the counties start sending in vials of mosquitoes, barcoded with date, collector and site information. (STP, which stands for sewage treatment plant, for example.) In Pennsylvania, each county sends about 80 bottles with one to 10,000 mosquitoes a month. The lab scans in the vials, much like bread at the grocery store. Then each is dumped onto a "cold table," literally a frozen slab, and separated by tweezer by species. "You've got to keep the mosquitoes frozen because otherwise the virus starts to disintegrate," said Mike Hutchinson, lab manager. There are more than 50 different kinds of mosquito in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, but only certain kinds carry West Nile. So only those host bugs - particularly the Culex species - get sent to the state Department of Health in Lionville, Chester County, for testing. The DEP handles the overflow. So far, more than 5,000 samples have been shipped to the health department and tested this summer alone. Last summer, more than 21,000 pools were tested in Pennsylvania. Officials say the season has just begun, and they're reluctant to say what August and September will bring. "It's really too early to say there's anything like a pattern," said Bob Kent, head of mosquito control coordination for the Department of Environmental Protection in New Jersey. "Is it down because of the weather? Is there resistance developing? Is it because of mosquito control or that people are more aware of it? "I think it's all of those things, but it remains to be seen." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post a question for Dawn Fallik at http://go.philly.com/askdawn. She can be contacted directly at dfallik@phillynews.com or 215-854-2795. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2005 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.philly.com

you can also make a copy of the pages with a copier (not laser-- must use the black graphite stuff)....iron face down onto the fabric...the graphite from the copy will transfer. remember if you are using words, you need to have a reverse copy made....or you'll be using a mirror to read the final embroidery! lol

Other than shortening and attaching it to the comb, the veil is done! Huzzah!!! The beading consists of a wide variety of stuff, but I coordinated it with each flower being beaded in the same way regardless of where it occurred on the veil. I used paillets, rocailles, seed beads, bugle beads, czech crystal, swarovski crystal, individually mounted rhinestones, sequins, some jewelry baubles, a few pearls and hand embroidery in silver thread. Now I've got to start on my own dress for the wedding....

Thanks guys (ladies)... It makes sense now! Thanks also for the subtle hint that the Mayflower might be beyond my experience level... I do think I need a bit more practice before attempting something like that. I just finished doing this heart.... it was trying... I had to rip it out and start all over about 5 times... and I can't tell you how many times I had to use the seam ripper (not fun with small stitches). I kept putting the bulk of fabric on the wrong side of the seam and not having enough to flip over. I don't have an add a quarter ruler yet, and just because I'm practicing and not trying to make something real, I've been just eyeballing the seam allowance and cutting it with the sewing shears rather than the rotary cutter and ruler. It is really fun to see it all come together. My granny who also quilts said this is cheating, but she also thinks that using a machine for quilting is cheating and real quilts are hand sewn, so we will just have to agree to disagree about that. I actually thought it was cheaing at first, but you wouldn't call a cook who followed a recipe cheating, so this isn't either :o) I'm just glad that I'm actually making something that looks like what it is supposed to and not just sewing squares together.... and the no measuring thing is amazing. To take the paper off, I just stab it with the seam ripper and pull and it comes right off. My only problem is that it wastes so much fabric (I annhialated 3 fat quarters just to get this silly heart!).... of course messing up and having to start over doesn't help with that! I read somewhere that a lady said she needle punches the pattern first, and I think that would be really helpful to do. So exciting to see it come together... when I start, I think, "how in the world is this mess going to end up looking like the picture?".... but it has so far :o) Can you see my boo boo? I accidentally sewed on the wrong side of the fabric on one of the pieces and didn't realize it until it was too late.... the thing with the white swirls is the back of the fabric showing :o)