Senators Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Jeff Sessions of Alabama recently introduced legislation to create a $1 silver coin to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America.

Under the legislation, the U.S. Mint would produce 350,000 commemorative coins in honor of the anniversary. A share of the proceeds from the sale of the coins will be donated to further scouting activities in undeserved areas of the country.
The physical design of the coin, which has yet to be determined, will be symbolic of the 100 years of service of the Boy Scouts.
Minting of the coins, which will occur between Feb. 8, 2010, and Jan. 11, 2011, will be at no cost to the taxpayer. At the time of introduction, the measure had 37 additional cosponsors in the Senate.
Similar legislation cleared the House of Representatives on May 15.
Since 1910, more than 111 million youth have participated in scouting programs, making it the largest youth organization in the U.S.
Congress granted the Boy Scouts a federal charter in 1916. 248 members of the 110th Congress have participated in Boy Scouts of America as scouts or adult leaders.

Ticks are small, insect-like creatures that can attach to you as you brush past bushes, plants, and grass. Once on you, ticks often move to a warm, moist location, like the armpits, groin, and hair. At that point they typically attach firmly to your skin and begin to draw blood.

Ticks can be fairly large — about the size of a pencil eraser — or so small that they are almost impossible to see. Ticks can cause a variety of health conditions ranging from harmless to serious.

This article describes the effects of a tick bite.

Poisonous Ingredient

Hard- and soft-bodied female ticks are believed to make a poison that can cause tick paralysis in children.

While most ticks do not carry diseases, some ticks can carry bacteria that can cause:

• Colorado tick fever
• Lyme disease
• Rocky Mountain spotted fever
• Tularemia

Where Found

Ticks live in wooded or grassy fields.

Symptoms

Watch for the symptoms of tick-borne diseases in the weeks following a tick bite — muscle or joint aches, stiff neck, headache, weakness, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and other flu-like symptoms. Watch for a red spot or rash starting at the location of the bite.

The symptoms below refer more to the problems resulting from the bite itself, not the diseases that a bit may cause. Some of the symptoms are specific to one variety of tick or another but not necessarily common to all ticks.

• Apnea (breathing stopped)
• Difficulty breathing
• Loss of movement (paralysis)
• Severe pain at bite site (some varieties), lasting for several weeks
• Swelling at bite site (some varieties)
• Weakness
• Uncoordinated movement

DO NOT

• DO NOT try to burn the tick with a match or other hot object.
• DO NOT twist the tick when pulling it out.
• DO NOT try to kill, smother, or lubricate the tick with oil, alcohol, vaseline, or similar material.

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Call your doctor if you have not been able to remove the entire tick. Also call if you develop a rash, joint pain or redness, flu-like symptoms, or swollen lymph nodes following a tick bite.

Call 911 if you have any signs of severe headache, paralysis, trouble breathing, chest pain, heart palpitations, or other serious symptoms.

First Aid

If a tick is attached to you, follow these steps to remove it.

• Grasp the tick close to its head or mouth with tweezers or your fingernails. Pull it straight out with a slow and steady motion. Be careful not to leave the head embedded in the skin.
• Clean the area thoroughly with soap and water.
• Save the tick in a jar and watch carefully for the next week or two for signs of Lyme disease.
• If all the parts of the tick cannot be removed, get medical help.

Prevention

Wear long pants and long sleeves when walking through heavy brush, tall grass, and densely wooded areas. Pull your socks over the outside of your pants to prevent ticks from crawling up inside. Keep your shirt tucked into your pants. Wear light-colored clothes so that ticks can be spotted easily. Spray your clothes with insect repellant. Check your clothes and skin frequently while in the woods.

After returning home, remove your clothes and thoroughly inspect all skin surface areas, including your scalp. Ticks can quickly climb up the length of your body. Some ticks are large and easy to locate. Other ticks can be quite small, so carefully evaluate all black or brown spots on the skin.

Sources: http://health.nytimes.com