Saturday, June 8, 2013

Words Of Wisdom

"In a despotic government, the only principle by which the tyrant who is to move the whole machine means to regulate and manage the people is fear, by the servile dread of his power. But a free government, which of all others is far the most preferable, cannot be supported without virtue."
--Samuel Williams, A Discourse on the Love of our Country, 1774

Friday, June 7, 2013

Men's Health Week June 10-16

McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) celebrates Men’s Health Week (June 10-16) and reminds men to give themselves the gift of health.  National Men’s Health Week is celebrated each year the week leading up to and including Father’s Day. During this week, individuals, families, communities, and others work to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems, promote healthy living, and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.
Having regular screenings is a key component to maintaining good health.  Screening tests can find diseases early when they are easier to treat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading causes of deaths in males are heart disease and cancer.  Health risk factors for men include being overweight, smoking and high blood pressure.  As we age, it becomes increasingly important to get screened for early diagnosis of heart disease and certain types of cancers (prostate, colon).  High blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes are contributing factors for other types of age-related illnesses as well.
Regular checkups and age-appropriate screenings can improve health and reduce premature death and disability. Consult your health care provider about the benefits of earlier screenings, especially if you are a member of a high risk group or have a family history of disease.
A checklist of screening tests for men – what you need to know and when – is provided by the Men’s Health Network http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/. Tests include cholesterol, blood pressure, colorectal cancer, PSA (prostate specific antigen), Tuberculosis (TB) skin test, testosterone screening, bone mineral density, diabetes and sexually transmitted diseases, among others.  There are also daily steps men can take to stay healthy – don’t smoke, be physically active, eat a healthy diet, stay at a healthy weight and take preventive medicines if you need them.  For more health information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/men/nmhw/index.htm.
MCDH encourages men to talk to their doctor about which screening tests are right for them and how often they should be tested. 

Second Eurasian Milfoil Treatment For Crystal Lake -- Thursday 6-13

Hey and Associates, the company working with the Crystal Lake Park District on the management of Crystal Lake, will be applying Navigate herbicide treatment for Eurasian Milfoil around the  West  Bay  and both Main and West Beach areas of Crystal Lake on Thursday, June 13.
Approximately 20 acres around the Main Beach and West Bay areas are to be treated with Navigate™, a granular form of a selective aquatic herbicide. The West Beach area will be treated with a granular formulation of Cutrine Plus™, an algaecide to treat the chara growing on the lake bed. Fishing will notbe restricted after application. Please do not use lake water for irrigating plants and do not use water from treated areas for drinking water (human or pet) until concentration <.07ppm, or mixing sprays for agricultural or ornamental plants.
Eurasian Milfoil is an aggressive, non-native water weed that chokes out native plants and can become so dense it restricts boating, fishing and swimming. It has been determined through lake studies that Water milfoil presents an ecological and recreational nuisance on the West Bay and eastern shoreline of the lake. For more information contact Hey and Associates, Inc. at 414-327-0440. 

Beach Sampling Reports

McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) conducted beach water samplings at 38 licensed beaches on Wednesday, June 6.  There were no reports of increased bacterial levels.  All beaches will be open.
To prevent illness associated with swimming, all licensed beaches on the 13 lakes in McHenry County are tested every 2 weeks for E. coli throughout the summer to determine water quality.  Additional and more frequent sampling is done when elevated bacterial levels are found.    
Water sampling results are reported to the appropriate beach authorities. MCDH will post an advisory or closed signage for beaches with elevated E. coli results.  All beach water results and locations are readily available at the MCDH webpage www.mcdh.info (click Environmental Health, quick links, “beach testing results”) or call 815-334-4585.

Crystal Lake Library Staff Recognized Friday

The Crystal Lake Public Library Board of Trustees will recognize Staff on 
Friday, June 7, 2013, 10:45am – 11:45am at Bethany Lutheran Church, 
76 W Crystal Lake Avenue, Crystal Lake IL.

Words Of Wisdom

"Our conflict is not likely to cease so soon as every good man would wish. The measure of iniquity is not yet filled; and unless we can return a little more to first principles, and act a little more upon patriotic ground, I do not know when it will -- or -- what may be the issue of the contest. Speculation -- peculation -- engrossing -- forestalling -- with all their concomitants, afford too many melancholy proofs of the decay of public virtue; and too glaring instances of its being the interest and desire of too many, who would wish to be thought friends, to continue the war."
--George Washington, letter to James Warren, 1779

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Where Are We Going?

fROM THIS AFTERNOON’S nEW yORK tIMES

Editorial

President Obama’s Dragnet


Published: June 6, 2013 249 Comments

Within hours of the disclosure that federal authorities routinely collect data on phone calls Americans make, regardless of whether they have any bearing on a counterterrorism investigation, the Obama administration issued the same platitude it has offered every time President Obama has been caught overreaching in the use of his powers: Terrorists are a real menace and you should just trust us to deal with them because we have internal mechanisms (that we are not going to tell you about) to make sure we do not violate your rights.

Read the rest of the Editorial here: