Animals Of The Nile River

River Pests Out In Force

"Some sorts of species still bite during the day," said Dr. Robert Penn, with Methodist Health System. "So it's advised that if you're going to have to be outdoors for any prolonged period of time, to use a mosquito repellent."

Working in Infectious Diseases, Dr. Penn said the mosquito-transmitted West Nile Virus, which came into our area in 2002 and peaked in 2003, is expected to come back this year. "There's a concern," he said, "with all the flood waters that we'll see more of it this year."

Those over age 50, with chronic health conditions like diabetes or weakened immune systems due to illness or medication are most at risk.

Dr. Penn said 80% of people get mild symptoms, if any. Most don't even realize their sick, but they get immunity to West Nile, "versus about 20% of patients who may have a spectrum of disease including a fever, headache and body aching." Some develop more serious neurological sicknesses meningitis or encephalitis, and West Nile can even prove fatal.

To reduce our risk, Dr. Penn suggests we avoid going outside between dusk and dawn. Wearing clothing that covers our bodies helps, and so does insect repellent.

Parents should be the ones to apply repellent to children, he said, by first applying it to our hands and then rubbing it on them, avoiding the eyes and mouth. Never put it on their hands, as children have a tendency to put their hands in their mouths. And deet products should never be used on babies under two months of age.

The incubation period from a mosquito bite to West Nile symptoms can range from two to 14 days. Lab confirmation of the illness can take from five to seven days.

In the Fox Run neighborhood of Council Bluffs, Joe Benak said the mosquito problem is hard to cope with at times. On the golf course, he said, "The mosquitoes and gnats will eat you up."

And while West Nile is a concern for he and his wife, retirees, it's not enough to keep them inside. "Just hope you get a good repellent that keeps them off," he said.

Another bug that's been bothering those in river areas looks like a mosquito, but UNL Extension Expert Barbara Ogg said, based on its behavior, it's not.

"They hang on the screens, the doors, and they're just pesty," said Price.

Fighting the Deities of Egypt (Act 3 Scene 2b) « Requisite Danger

I had the pleasure Sunday of presenting the findings of a year and an half long research project on the gods of Egypt (granted, in the end it all came down to one book…but still, it took me over a year to FIND that book!!).

At first I wasn’t going to inflect the congregation with my strange endeavors…but several members of the congregation found the information fascinating and, as such, encouraged me to share it with the entire church.

So I did.

As usually, my written notes are below with the full audio file on the PRV homesite .

Blessings.

Last week you guys learned about the Passover – the meal of remembrance – remembering how God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.  During this time I heard that you all briefly talked about the 10 plagues that led up to their deliverance.

1.    Plague of blood (דָם): Ex. 7:14–25

However before we dive into this, I want to set the scene a little bit – to help us to understand what was going on at that time and to understand what the people there were feeling and thinking.

Ancient Egypt – What comes to mind when I say “ancient Egypt”?  The pyramids? Mummies? King Tut? The Sphinx?

Egypt was one of the greatest countries in the world – it boast of one of the oldest cultures in world with boundaries that stretched from modern day Susan to Syria. This map shows the boundaries of Egypt in the 15th Century – that is around the 1400s BC – which is fairly close to when the Exodus event happened which was around 1312 BCE or 1450 BCE or 1200-1250 BCE or maybe even 1602 BCE.

Scholars have a hard time dating the time of the Exodus due to the lack of proper names within Bible and the lack of records written by the Egyptians themselves. Some see this ‘problem’ as reason to discredit the entire thing…but we have to remember that writing was a rare thing in ancient Egypt – reserved for things of importance – and if your slaves just rebelled against you and walked out of the country…would you write that down?  NO! You would try to spin it in our favor! You would hope that folks would quickly forget about that part of history…

Speaking of the rulers of Egypt, it is worth nothing that unlike some of the other rulers in the ancient Near East, the Egyptian Pharaoh did not just rule the land on behalf of the gods – he was in a literal sense one of the gods. He birth was a divine act as he was considered the child of the chief gods of Egypt.

Life Along the River Nile

The history of the ancient world, from the earliest accounts to the fall of Rome

Cuisine and culture, a history of food and people

Nile River

Egypt: The Land