July 16, 2014
by TammyeHoney Leave a comment

Just when life seems crazy…It gets crazier

So my rash cleared up thanks to a shot and 14 days of antibiotic. Within a few days it was back and stronger yet.
Luckily I had a scheduled follow up visit with the doctor any ways so I dragged my body in there yesterday.
Trust me, I would have rather have stayed in bed. Every joint in my body aches. The change in weather has not helped.

Our visit was quite interesting as she sat and listened and saw the rash again, noticed that I still had difficulty breathing.
We discussed the blood test that had been drawn for my pre allergy test. I found it odd that it suddenly showed that I was
now allergic to beef, pork and milk…on a severe level. As she put it guess what they are fed…corn…so she felt that it was
not odd at all.

I am now in the process of being tested for a problem called Alpha Gal.
According to http://alpha-gal.org/ :

Lone Star Tick

Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, or Alpha-Gal for short, is a delayed allergy to mammal meat affecting a growing number of the population. This allergy is initially caused by a tick bite. Since the reaction to eating mammal meat is delayed by several hours, the proper diagnosis is often missed or misdiagnosed. People who are afflicted with the Alpha-Gal allergy have to be constantly vigilant about the ingredients they consume, because an allergic reaction can be severe and life-threatening.
By getting the attention of the food service industry, particularly in schools, colleges and universities, and restaurants, sufferers will get relief. Adding beef broth to soup and calling it vegetable soup or adding bacon drippings to gravy can be life-threatening to people with the Alpha-Gal allergy. By including Alpha-Gal allergy information on menus or even more specifically, having ingredient lists available upon request, the constant worry will be eliminated from eating out.

Empower.

AGAA will strive to empower those with this allergy. Living with the Alpha-Gal allergy can be quite stressful, because many activities are planned around food, and it is often almost impossible to know the ingredients in many dishes. This problem can render a simple meal into an anxiety-provoking situation for people with the allergy, because they are very aware of the possibility they could be unknowingly ingesting food that contains an undisclosed allergen. By getting attention for this allergy, it is AGAA’s hope that those affected will be better able to cope with this allergy, due to others’ increased awareness and subsequent conscientiousness regarding food preparation.

Mission Statement

Enlighten. Empower. Eradicate.

The mission of Alpha-Gal Allergy Awareness team is to promote health and ultimately, save the lives of those afflicted with the Alpha-Gal allergy through increased allergy awareness.

Awareness Disclaimer

The materials and information on this page, along with any articles or other links, are for informational and educational purposes, intended to promote awareness and are not, nor intended to constitute or replace, medical or other health science advice or treatment. Alpha-Gal Allergy wareness strives for the information on the page to be accurate, but much of the information is opinion of others, including information contained in articles, so AGAA disclaims any warranty of any kind, whether express or implied, as to any matter whatsoever relating to this site. In no event shall AGAA be liable for any indirect, special, incidental, general or consequential damages arising out of any use of or reliance on any content of this website. This is strictly an awareness site and no connection to the medical field is present.

I am now on an antibiotic for the next fourteen days and I had to get another shot. Now I have to go for a series of blood tests and see an allergist.

Perhaps after this I will begin to feel a little better and my body will begin to stop aching. Guess I will never be able to enjoy red meat or pork or dairy again.

There goes my bacon cheeseburgers. Needless to say I have a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup cooking. My biggest fear is what did they feed the chicken.

April 7, 2013
by TammyeHoney 6 Comments

Daily Prompt: Speaking to High School Alma Mater

Daily Prompt: Alma Mater

by michelle w. on April 7, 2013

You’ve been asked to speak at your high school alma mater — about the path of life. (Whoa.) Draft the speech.

Since my graduation class was so large, this is a far cry from my being the “Chosen One” to be doing this speech. I did not come into Herkimer Senior High School in Herkimer New York until my Tenth year. I did participate in sports. However, the wind had been cut from my sails and I did not have the drive that I had in my previous high school where I was active in sports, chorus, the theater and other groups.

I had been pulled in the middle of my tenth year. I landed in the hospital for three months for an exploratory surgery that went bad. I had a stomach pump and two IV’s which I dragged along in the hospital corridors for exercise. I had a tutor to try and keep my school work up till I returned after Spring break.

I was not out to win any popularity contests. I was simply there to finish out my few years and get into college. Something that was put on hold for me till my two daughters were much older and I was divorced.

My words of advice. Do not put your dreams on hold.

Follow your dreams but be sure that they are realistic and are true to yourself. Do not try and do something that is going to come back and make you shoot yourself in the foot later.

I appreciate having waited to go to college later in life. Yes I was older in my class. So was everyone else in my early morning classes. I was able to get good grades and was able to get a good job on campus as a tutor to help supplement my costs of college.

Appreciate your skills and do not be afraid to think outside of the box for what you want in life.

Go after your dreams. They are not going to come knocking at your door and come looking for you.

What would you say to your alma mater if you had the chance?

Would love to hear…

Here are what some of the early bird daily prompt writers had to say on the subject:

Tammye Honey

March 25, 2013
by TammyeHoney 14 Comments

Daily Prompt: Idyllic Community

Daily Prompt: Idyllic

by michelle w. on March 25, 2013

What does your ideal community look like? How is it organized, and how is community life structured? What values does the community share?

I must sound like a broken record on this one. Were we are located gives us a touch of the country while being right next to Clarksville, Tennessee and Ft. Campbell, Kentucky so we have the best of both worlds. Till I woke up this morning.

We have snow…what is this? It is New York State weather. Not normal Tennessee weather. I borrowed these pictures from a friend who took them last night and this morning.

We are not supposed to have hail dropping on our daffodils.

What is up with snow? Yes I know we can still see the ground but the black ice is incredible.

http://www.cityofclarksville.com

http://www.campbell.army.mil/Pages/CampHome.aspx

While Clarksville and Woodlawn area offer all the schools, hospital and shopping that one needs, not to mention places to eat and visit…oops I just did lol.

Ft. Campbell is a city within itself. It has it’s own schools, hospital, shopping, restaurants and things to do.

The community where we are is small and quiet. When our dog Trina was frightened and ran away for a day, the community came out to help find her. People actually stopped to ask if we were looking for a child.

She came home just as it got dark (she is afraid of the dark and was hungry. First thing she did was check her New Box of Milkbones to make sure they were still there.

What is your perfect community? Do you live in it now? Would love to hear…

Here are what some other Daily Prompt Writers had to say:

Thank you for reading Check back with Michelle to see who else has posted their article during the day.

Tammye Honey

December 19, 2012
by TammyeHoney 6 Comments

Daily Prompt: Dear Leader

In our local newspaper there were the following stories posted today about the Tragic Deaths that occurred in Connecticut at the Elementary School. Our Prayers to all the Families that it involved.

Here is an article that I found rather interesting in our local paper that may change the way that guns are sold and what guns are sold.

Cerberus to sell gun company that makes Bushmaster

Written by

Joshua Freed And Michelle Chapman

Associated Press

Filed Under

The company that makes one of the weapons used to kill elementary school children in Connecticut is being put up for sale by its owner, which called Friday’s tragedy a “watershed event” in the debate over gun control.

The private-equity group Cerberus Capital Management said Tuesday it will sell its controlling stake in Freedom Group International, the maker of Bushmaster rifles. Investors also continued to bail out of other gunmakers while the retailer Dick’s Sporting Goods said it would stop selling military-style rifles.

The activity comes as the political winds appear to be shifting. Some Republicans now say they’re willing to discuss the issue of gun control — along with mental health issues and violent video games,

Cerberus cobbled Freedom Group together by buying Bushmaster, Remington, and other well-known gun brands starting in 2006. On Friday, a gunman using what is believed to have been a Bushmaster military-style rifle killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in one of the worst mass shootings in U.S history.

“It is apparent that the Sandy Hook tragedy was a watershed event that has raised the national debate on gun control to an unprecedented level,” Cerberus wrote in announcing the planned sale. Cerberus owned 95 percent of Freedom Group, according to a year-end 2011 filing for the gunmaker on its website.

Freedom Group said it’s the largest firearms manufacturer in the U.S. It sold 1.1 million rifles and shotguns last year, along with 2 billion rounds of ammunition. Its products are sold to law enforcement and military customers, as well as retailers who sell them to hunters and gun enthusiasts.

The so-called Assault Weapons Ban that expired in 2004 restricted the sale of some types of guns like those made by Bushmaster. Freedom Group noted in its filing that new laws along the lines of the expired assault weapons ban “could have a material adverse effect on our business.”

Cerberus attempted to distance itself from that debate on Tuesday.

“We are investors, not statesmen or policy makers,” the company said in its statement. Firms like Cerberus are basically privately run pools of money that invest in companies on behalf of pension funds including those for teachers, police officers, and other institutions. “It is not our role to take positions, or attempt to shape or influence the gun control policy debate. That is the job of our federal and state legislators,” the private-equity firm said. The sale may have been influenced by one or more of those clients. The announcement comes one day after the California State Teachers Retirement System, a large pension fund, told The Wall Street Journal that it was reviewing its $500 million investment commitment to Cerberus because of the firm’s stake in Freedom Group.

Cerberus is best known for its investment in Chrysler. It ended up walking away from that investment as the U.S. government bailed out the car company.

Money made from the Freedom Group sale will be returned to its investors, Cerberus said.

Meanwhile, Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. said in a statement that it suspended the sale of modern sporting rifles in all of its stores. The company also removed all guns from sale and display at its store closest to Newtown.

Shares in publicly-traded gun makers were dropping for a third-straight day.

Shares of Sturm, Ruger & Co. dropped $3.74, or 8.5 percent, to $40.26 in afternoon trading Tuesday. They’re down more than 10 percent since Thursday, the day before the shooting. Shares of Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. fell 11 percent to $7.70, and are down 19.3 percent from their Thursday close.

Outdoor goods retailer Cabela’s Inc. fell $1.58, or 3.8 percent, to $39.63.

A Cerberus spokesman did not return a phone message left on Tuesday. A representative for Freedom Group could not be immediately reached for comment.

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/viewart/20121218/NEWS01/312180060/Cerberus-sell-gun-company-makes-Bushmaster

Dick’s stores suspend sales of certain rifles

Written by

Associated Press

Filed Under

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A sporting goods company says it’s suspending sales of modern rifles nationwide because of the school shooting in Connecticut.

Dick’s Sporting Goods also says it’s removing all guns from display at its store closest to Newtown, where the massacre took place.

Authorities say a gunman killed 26 people, mostly children, with a military-style rifle at Sandy Hook Elementary on Friday. He then killed himself.

A statement posted on Dick’s corporate website expresses sympathy for the victims’ families. It says sales of modern sporting rifles will be suspended during “this time of national mourning.”

It’s not clear how long the suspension will last. A spokesman for Dick’s did not immediately return a call for comment on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh-based Dick’s operates more than 500 sporting goods stores in 44 states, including at Governor’s Square Mall in Clarksville.

The sad fact still remains that with all of these efforts, the shooters in the past few shootings Nationally were not the owners of the guns. Forcing a gun control on stolen guns should be interesting. I have never heard of someone walking into a police station and handing over a gun that they stole before they used it.

Perhaps our leaders need to take a different approach to their “gun control” and look at the picture from a broader view.

Our News Channel 5 last night broadcasted that Tennessee is proposing a bill to allow all teachers to carry a weapon on their person during school hours. This will come with the stipulation that they must attend classes on gun safety including hours at a firing range and will have to keep the guns in a safe environment on their person at all times free from access to the children.

Education Department Planning School Safety Summit

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The Tennessee Department of Education is planning a statewide School Safety Summit next month.

Department spokeswoman Kelli Gauthier said the meeting is a result of concerns following the deadly elementary school shooting in Connecticut last week. Twenty children and six adults were slain by a gunman packing a high-powered rifle.

Gauthier said the summit will gather hundreds of district and community leaders from across Tennessee to discuss how to ensure the proper training and implementation of safety measures in schools.

The summit will be hosted by Williamson County schools.

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/20381356/education-department-planning-school-safety-summit

Perhaps we will become like other countries and decide to deal with this problem like they have for years. Israel has had guns in the classroom for years. Those children are not having to seek professional counseling by Psychiatrists or Psychologists. That is just one Nation that I have named. Just a thought.

Tammye Honey

June 13, 2012
by TammyeHoney 1 Comment

Clarksville schools act after hacking report

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – School officials in Clarksville, Tenn., have shut down websites and email after a hacker group claimed to have stolen data.

Officials said they have asked police and the FBI for help in the case.

According to The Leaf-Chronicle (http://leafne.ws/LglnVV ), a group calling itself Spex Security said it had the email passwords and Social Security numbers of thousands of students and school system employees.

The group said Clarksville was targeted because of its “belligerence,” but there was no elaboration.

School system spokeswoman Elise Shelton says the system has not been contacted by the group. She urged individuals to monitor their financial accounts closely.

Information from: The Leaf-Chronicle, http://www.theleafchronicle.com

Glad to hear that the school is monitoring this very closely. It is important that they do and they seem to want to stay on top of it for certain.

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/18760003/clarksville-schools-act-after-hacking-report

This is at least a little comfort for the current parents…not for the parents of students who have since gone on to college….lets hope that all damage is contained.

Tammye Honey

June 13, 2012
by TammyeHoney Leave a comment

9000 Social Security Names Were Released From School

This story is straight from the Channel 5 News station in Nashville TN http://www.newschannel5.com/story/18775033/analysis-9000-social-security-numbers-posted-in-hacking

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – A tech firm analysis of the hacking attack on the Clarksville-Montgomery County school district found that nearly 9,000 social security numbers were posted.

About 5,000 belonged to district employees, and the rest belonged to students.

The full names and student IDs of nearly 4,000 students were also exposed, and of those, about 1,30 also had their genders and birth dates exposed.

The affected students were born between April 1987 and September 1993.

The school district said they had gotten a call from Clarksville Police on Sunday afternoon that a 911 call had come in saying the personal data of 110,000 Clarksville-Montgomery County School system employees and student had been compromised.

A hacking group calling itself Spex Security posted the information of approximately 14,500 students and employees online on Monday.

All school system websites were shut down. The school system contacted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

School officials urge individuals to closely monitor their financial accounts. Police also encourage people to double check their credit reports and financial documents, and shred any document with personal information on it.

This is a follow up story from the Clarksville school investigation that has been ongoing that I first reported on in my blog so I have ping back to that story… Sadly I am not making this up and have documented my story with the actual report included for viewing.

Please check your own school system and how protected your children and information really are. They are not certain just how many years back this group went back and obtained information. This is all that they published not how much information that they have.

June 12, 2012
by TammyeHoney 7 Comments

Scary News About School Information on Your Children

The other day a friend a I were discussing a blog that I was going to write and put on my site with pictures which would include her children. I had assured her that I would not include their names or their addresses due to the scares that our own children have about the internet and our own grand children’s pictures.

While watching the local Television Station News Tonight… The following article which can be linked here appeared which is really eye opening…

http://www.newschannel5.com/story/18756919/student-employee-info-hacked-in-montgomery-county

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Authorities believe hackers accessed the personal data of 110,000 Clarksville-Montgomery County School system employees and students.

A 911 call came in around noon Sunday to Clarksville police about the hacking. Police contacted school officials, whose technology specialists determined a hacking group threatened to release a portion of the data.

A group calling itself Spex Security on Monday released the information on about 14,500 students and school system employees.

The information included students’ names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and school and state ID numbers. Employee and school wide email passwords were also posted.

All school system websites were shut down. The school system contacted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“We basically unplugged, I mean all systems are shutdown right now and they will stay that way until we have otherwise some information that tells us to put them back up,” district spokeswoman Elise Shelton said Monday.

The group released the following statement with the information:

“Our primary suspects include the U.S. government for torturous and deceptive acts on our own soil, the educational system for exuberantly being blown-over and belligerently not patching the holes in their system, and anybody else who partook a role in the murder of America.”

The statement went on to say that Clarksville “was primarily targeted due to their belligerence.” The statement did not clarify what that meant.

“If there are other firewalls that we can put up besides what we have we will certainly look into doing that. We want to make sure that all of our information is secure,” Shelton said.

School officials urge individuals to closely monitor their financial accounts.

I just texted the mom and said…”guess the pictures are not the only things that you have to worry about now…”

Sadly, this is a true story and is not a hoax. This is really happening. This is a possible thing that could happen anywhere in the world… please make sure that your school system is protecting your children’s information. The bad part of this, how many years of information have they been able to obtain? Now they are worried about people who are deceased and their social security numbers… where does it end?

I am a person who normally looks on the bright side of life…this time I am having a little difficulty finding it. For a school system to simply say CYA…hmmm

Thank you for reading and check in to your local school system and their policy…you might be as amazed as we were…when it was too late for us though…

Tammye Honey