tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-214629352024-03-07T03:59:38.417-05:00Bugged OutAre You Buggin' Out?Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.comBlogger147125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-16079705806713847292013-10-21T14:18:00.001-04:002013-10-21T14:18:35.130-04:00DarkerShadeofLiberty is still waiting for you to join Twitter...<!-- 100% body table, class outerinvite --> <table class="outerinvite" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"> <!-- Frame --> <table class="frame" width="542" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-size: 1px;" class="top-spacer" height="40" valign="top"><img width="1" height="1" style="display: block;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" src="https://twitter.com/scribe/ibis?uid=0&iid=973dd0ed-aa0d-4779-aaa2-1156d5fb4661&nid=69+20+20131020&t=1" /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <!-- Top corners --> <table class="top-corners" bgcolor="#eeeeee" width="522" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="12" valign="top"><img class="cut" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: block;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" border="0" src="https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/top-corners.png" width="522" height="12" alt="Top corners image" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Top corners --> <!-- Content --> <table style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-color: #cccccc;" class="content" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="522" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="522" align="center" valign="top"> <table class="invite" width="520" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="spacer" width="9%"> </td> <td class="invite-top spacer" height="38" width="82%" valign="top"> </td> <td class="spacer" width="9%"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> </td> <td class="avatar avatar-last" width="96"><a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=973dd0ed-aa0d-4779-aaa2-1156d5fb4661&nid=69+478+20131020&t=1" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;"><img border="0" class="avatar-image" src="https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000493344498/0cbe82ea6d4e3b0df41da229475a4b31_reasonably_small.jpeg" width="96" height="96" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;border-radius:3px;" /></a></td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="20" colspan="5"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Avatar images --> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <p class="names" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:normal;color:#333333;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:25px;margin-top:2px !important;margin-bottom:22px !important;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=973dd0ed-aa0d-4779-aaa2-1156d5fb4661&nid=69+475+20131020&t=1" class="name" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;color:#333333;text-decoration:none;">DarkerShadeofLiberty</a> is still waiting for you to join Twitter... <img width="1" height="1" src="loadimage" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" /> </p> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <table bgcolor="##55acee" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="170px" class="button-container" style="white-space:nowrap;background-color:#55acee;background-image:url(https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/button-bg-sp.png);border-radius:5px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px;text-align:center;height:1px;width:180px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="44" align="center" class="button-cta" style="font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;padding:0px 5px;margin:0px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=973dd0ed-aa0d-4779-aaa2-1156d5fb4661&nid=69+442+20131020&t=1" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;text-decoration:none;"> <bold> Accept invitation </bold> </a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td height="20"> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Content --> <!-- Envelope --> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="envelope" valign="top"> <img class="cut" border="0" src="https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/envelope-with-logo.png" width="542" height="133" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Envelope --> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Frame --> <!-- Footer --> <table class="footer" style="background: url(https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/footer-shadow.png) top repeat-x; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: #cccccc;" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table class="footer-inner" width="500" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="25"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="ios" valign="top"> <p style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#777777;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;">You can <a href="https://twitter.com/i/o?t=1&iid=973dd0ed-aa0d-4779-aaa2-1156d5fb4661&uid=0&c=54tEyVlN87XxeT7Agli8OyLVc9Qh%2BG2xVMnMdyNaO5w%3D&nid=69+26+20131020" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;">unsubscribe</a> from these emails at anytime or find <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.twitter.com&sig=d5a93ec8dc3f5086b47a0022aac6b1bd71661580&uid=0&iid=973dd0ed-aa0d-4779-aaa2-1156d5fb4661&nid=69+97+20131020&t=1" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;">answers </a> to your questions at Twitter Support.</p> <p class="address" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#777777;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#999999;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;"> <a href="#" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#999999;">Twitter, Inc. 1355 Market St., Suite 900<span class="break"></span> San Francisco, CA 94103</a></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="30"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Footer --> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ 100% body table, class outerinvite --> Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-7890363121345118222013-10-07T09:21:00.001-04:002013-10-07T09:21:56.940-04:00DarkerShadeofLiberty is still waiting for you to join Twitter...<!-- 100% body table, class outerinvite --> <table class="outerinvite" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"> <!-- Frame --> <table class="frame" width="542" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-size: 1px;" class="top-spacer" height="40" valign="top"><img width="1" height="1" style="display: block;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" src="https://twitter.com/scribe/ibis?uid=0&iid=aaaca500-9a65-4c0c-ae9c-b25e5da89e6e&nid=68+20+20131006&t=1" /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <!-- Top corners --> <table class="top-corners" bgcolor="#eeeeee" width="522" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="12" valign="top"><img class="cut" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: block;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" border="0" src="https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/top-corners.png" width="522" height="12" alt="Top corners image" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Top corners --> <!-- Content --> <table style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-color: #cccccc;" class="content" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="522" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="522" align="center" valign="top"> <table class="invite" width="520" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="spacer" width="9%"> </td> <td class="invite-top spacer" height="38" width="82%" valign="top"> </td> <td class="spacer" width="9%"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> </td> <td class="avatar avatar-last" width="96"><a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=aaaca500-9a65-4c0c-ae9c-b25e5da89e6e&nid=68+478+20131006&t=1" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;"><img border="0" class="avatar-image" src="https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000493344498/0cbe82ea6d4e3b0df41da229475a4b31_reasonably_small.jpeg" width="96" height="96" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;border-radius:3px;" /></a></td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="20" colspan="5"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Avatar images --> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <p class="names" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:normal;color:#333333;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:25px;margin-top:2px !important;margin-bottom:22px !important;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=aaaca500-9a65-4c0c-ae9c-b25e5da89e6e&nid=68+475+20131006&t=1" class="name" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;color:#333333;text-decoration:none;">DarkerShadeofLiberty</a> is still waiting for you to join Twitter... <img width="1" height="1" src="loadimage" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" /> </p> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <table bgcolor="##55acee" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="170px" class="button-container" style="white-space:nowrap;background-color:#55acee;background-image:url(https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/button-bg-sp.png);border-radius:5px;-moz-border-radius:5px;-webkit-border-radius:5px;text-align:center;height:1px;width:180px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="44" align="center" class="button-cta" style="font-size:18px;font-weight:bold;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;padding:0px 5px;margin:0px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=aaaca500-9a65-4c0c-ae9c-b25e5da89e6e&nid=68+442+20131006&t=1" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;text-decoration:none;"> <bold> Accept invitation </bold> </a> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td height="20"> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Content --> <!-- Envelope --> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="envelope" valign="top"> <img class="cut" border="0" src="https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/envelope-with-logo.png" width="542" height="133" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Envelope --> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Frame --> <!-- Footer --> <table class="footer" style="background: url(https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/footer-shadow.png) top repeat-x; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: #cccccc;" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table class="footer-inner" width="500" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="25"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="ios" valign="top"> <p style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#777777;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;">You can <a href="https://twitter.com/i/o?t=1&iid=aaaca500-9a65-4c0c-ae9c-b25e5da89e6e&uid=0&c=54tEyVlN87XxeT7Agli8OyLVc9Qh%2BG2xVMnMdyNaO5w%3D&nid=68+26+20131006" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;">unsubscribe</a> from these emails at anytime or find <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.twitter.com&sig=d5a93ec8dc3f5086b47a0022aac6b1bd71661580&uid=0&iid=aaaca500-9a65-4c0c-ae9c-b25e5da89e6e&nid=68+97+20131006&t=1" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;">answers </a> to your questions at Twitter Support.</p> <p class="address" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#777777;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#999999;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;"> <a href="#" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#999999;">Twitter, Inc. 1355 Market St., Suite 900<span class="break"></span> San Francisco, CA 94103</a></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="30"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Footer --> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ 100% body table, class outerinvite --> Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-38063073670750568942013-09-30T09:55:00.001-04:002013-09-30T09:55:50.872-04:00DarkerShadeofLiberty is still waiting for you to join Twitter...<!-- 100% body table, class outerinvite --> <table class="outerinvite" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"> <!-- Frame --> <table class="frame" width="542" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-size: 1px;" class="top-spacer" height="40" valign="top"><img width="1" height="1" style="display: block;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" src="https://twitter.com/scribe/ibis?uid=0&iid=d0f081cb-a1c9-455d-9fff-5ef5db513b8a&nid=67+20+20130929&t=1" /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <!-- Top corners --> <table class="top-corners" bgcolor="#eeeeee" width="522" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="12" valign="top"><img class="cut" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: block;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" border="0" src="https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/top-corners.png" width="522" height="12" alt="Top corners image" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Top corners --> <!-- Content --> <table style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-color: #cccccc;" class="content" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="522" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="522" align="center" valign="top"> <table class="invite" width="520" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="spacer" width="9%"> </td> <td class="invite-top spacer" height="38" width="82%" valign="top"> </td> <td class="spacer" width="9%"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> </td> <td class="avatar avatar-last" width="96"><a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=d0f081cb-a1c9-455d-9fff-5ef5db513b8a&nid=67+478+20130929&t=1" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;"><img border="0" class="avatar-image" src="https://si0.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000493344498/0cbe82ea6d4e3b0df41da229475a4b31_reasonably_small.jpeg" width="96" height="96" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;border-radius:3px;" /></a></td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="20" colspan="5"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Avatar images --> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <p class="names" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:normal;color:#333333;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:25px;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=d0f081cb-a1c9-455d-9fff-5ef5db513b8a&nid=67+475+20130929&t=1" class="name" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;color:#333333;text-decoration:none;">DarkerShadeofLiberty</a> is still waiting for you to join Twitter... <img width="1" height="1" src="loadimage" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" /> </p> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <!-- Button --> <table bgcolor="#33a9e5" class="newbutton" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="white-space:nowrap;background:#33a9e5;background-image:url(https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/button_bg.png);border-radius:5px;border-color:#2288cc;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;text-align:center;height:28px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="spacer" width="15"> </td> <td height="28" align="center"><span class="newbutton-text" style="color:#ffffff;font-size:15px;font-weight:bold;text-shadow:0px -1px 0px #3399dd;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;padding:0px;margin:0px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><a class="newbutton-link" href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=d0f081cb-a1c9-455d-9fff-5ef5db513b8a&nid=67+442+20130929&t=1" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;text-decoration:none;"> Accept invitation </a></span></td> <td class="spacer" width="15"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Button --> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td height="20"> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <p class="extra" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;color:#666666;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;">Twitter helps you stay connected with what's happening right now and with the people and organizations you care about.</p> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Content --> <!-- Envelope --> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="envelope" valign="top"> <img class="cut" border="0" src="https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/envelope-with-logo.png" width="542" height="133" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Envelope --> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Frame --> <!-- Footer --> <table class="footer" style="background: url(https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/footer-shadow.png) top repeat-x; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: #cccccc;" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table class="footer-inner" width="500" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="25"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="ios" valign="top"> <p style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#777777;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;">You can <a href="https://twitter.com/i/o?t=1&iid=d0f081cb-a1c9-455d-9fff-5ef5db513b8a&uid=0&c=54tEyVlN87XxeT7Agli8OyLVc9Qh%2BG2xVMnMdyNaO5w%3D&nid=67+26+20130929" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;">unsubscribe</a> from these emails at anytime or find <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.twitter.com&sig=d5a93ec8dc3f5086b47a0022aac6b1bd71661580&uid=0&iid=d0f081cb-a1c9-455d-9fff-5ef5db513b8a&nid=67+97+20130929&t=1" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;">answers </a> to your questions at Twitter Support.</p> <p class="address" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#777777;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#999999;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;"> <a href="#" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#999999;">Twitter, Inc. 1355 Market St., Suite 900<span class="break"></span> San Francisco, CA 94103</a></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="30"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Footer --> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ 100% body table, class outerinvite --> Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-20750811780272009212013-09-22T12:26:00.001-04:002013-09-22T12:26:48.372-04:00Daniel el Travieso sent you an invitation<!-- 100% body table, class outerinvite --> <table class="outerinvite" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td bgcolor="#eeeeee"> <!-- Frame --> <table class="frame" width="542" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="font-size: 1px;" class="top-spacer" height="40" valign="top"><img width="1" height="1" style="display: block;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" src="https://twitter.com/scribe/ibis?uid=0&iid=833bb4c4-818e-4750-af8b-e68547b37743&nid=9+20&t=1" /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> <!-- Top corners --> <table class="top-corners" bgcolor="#eeeeee" width="522" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="12" valign="top"><img class="cut" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; display: block;margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" border="0" src="https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/top-corners.png" width="522" height="12" alt="Top corners image" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Top corners --> <!-- Content --> <table style="border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: #cccccc; border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-right-color: #cccccc;" class="content" bgcolor="#ffffff" width="522" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td width="522" align="center" valign="top"> <table class="invite" width="520" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="spacer" width="9%"> </td> <td class="invite-top spacer" height="38" width="82%" valign="top"> </td> <td class="spacer" width="9%"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td align="center" valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td> </td> <td class="avatar avatar-last" width="96"><a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=833bb4c4-818e-4750-af8b-e68547b37743&nid=9+525&t=1" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;"><img border="0" class="avatar-image" src="https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/default-avatar.png" width="96" height="96" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;border-radius:3px;" /></a></td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="20" colspan="5"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Avatar images --> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <p class="names" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:18px;line-height:normal;color:#333333;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:25px;"> <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=833bb4c4-818e-4750-af8b-e68547b37743&nid=9+524&t=1" class="name" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;color:#333333;text-decoration:none;">Daniel el Travieso</a> has invited you to join Twitter! <img width="1" height="1" src="loadimage" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" /> </p> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <!-- Button --> <table bgcolor="#33a9e5" class="newbutton" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" style="white-space:nowrap;background:#33a9e5;background-image:url(https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/button_bg.png);border-radius:5px;border-color:#2288cc;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;text-align:center;height:28px;"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="spacer" width="15"> </td> <td height="28" align="center"><span class="newbutton-text" style="color:#ffffff;font-size:15px;font-weight:bold;text-shadow:0px -1px 0px #3399dd;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;padding:0px;margin:0px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><a class="newbutton-link" href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fi%2F5993aa00-85ef-4b0f-84f0-97f5b94b7bc6&sig=38b95bfd9b888f294ab6ef0e27f28bb13add5017&uid=0&iid=833bb4c4-818e-4750-af8b-e68547b37743&nid=9+442&t=1" style="color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;text-decoration:none;"> Accept invitation </a></span></td> <td class="spacer" width="15"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Button --> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td height="20"> </td> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> <td valign="top" align="center"> <p class="extra" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;color:#666666;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:10px;">Twitter helps you stay connected with what's happening right now and with the people and organizations you care about.</p> </td> <td> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Content --> <!-- Envelope --> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td class="envelope" valign="top"> <img class="cut" border="0" src="https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/envelope-with-logo.png" width="542" height="133" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;display:block;" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Envelope --> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Frame --> <!-- Footer --> <table class="footer" style="background: url(https://ea.twimg.com/email/t1/invite/footer-shadow.png) top repeat-x; border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-color: #cccccc;" width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td valign="top"> <table class="footer-inner" width="500" border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td height="25"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="ios" valign="top"> <p style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#777777;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;">You can <a href="https://twitter.com/i/o?t=1&iid=833bb4c4-818e-4750-af8b-e68547b37743&uid=0&c=54tEyVlN87XxeT7Agli8OyLVc9Qh%2BG2xVMnMdyNaO5w%3D&nid=9+26" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;">unsubscribe</a> from these emails at anytime or find <a href="https://twitter.com/i/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsupport.twitter.com&sig=d5a93ec8dc3f5086b47a0022aac6b1bd71661580&uid=0&iid=833bb4c4-818e-4750-af8b-e68547b37743&nid=9+97&t=1" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;">answers </a> to your questions at Twitter Support.</p> <p class="address" style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#777777;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;line-height:normal;color:#999999;text-shadow:0 1px 0 #ffffff;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:15px;"> <a href="#" style="text-decoration:none;color:#999999;color:#0084b4;text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;color:#999999;">Twitter, Inc. 1355 Market St., Suite 900<span class="break"></span> San Francisco, CA 94103</a></p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="30"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ Footer --> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!--/ 100% body table, class outerinvite --> Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-51321670505220984102013-06-29T03:13:00.001-04:002013-06-29T03:13:05.857-04:00Has It Been Three Years?It astounds me how long it has been since my last entry, and people are still reading this blog and posting comments. Despite not blogging for three years, Bugged Out still gets more hits than my other blogs/sites combined. Makes one realize how serious an issue bed bugs are to so many of you out there.<br />
<br />
How has my life changed in this time? I left New York City and moved to Manchester, New Hampshire as part of the <a href="http://freestateproject.org/" target="_blank">Free State Project</a>. The FSP is an organization with the mission of attracting 20,000 supporters of freedom and limited government to move to New Hampshire to seek a freer way of life. FSP participants, or Free Staters, use various labels to describe themselves: libertarian, constitutionalist, anarchist, voluntaryist, etc. They all find a way to make their lives freer, whether it be through political action, civil disobedience or civic involvement.<br />
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One thing I've learned from my past bedbug experience is that bedbugs will change your life in ways you'll never expect. I still have nightmares about bedbugs, and it's been seven years since I had them. I guess I can thank the bedbugs for making me into a libertarian. As a former liberal who believed the government would always be there to help, I was relieved when news broke out that <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2006/01/councilwoman-to-introduce-bed-bug.html">Councilwoman Gale Brewer</a> introduced a bill into the City Council that would help New Yorkers
suffering from bedbugs and even prevent the spread of these creatures to
other unsuspecting New Yorkers. There was even talk about a citywide
bedbug task force. Unfortunately, the only thing that was really
accomplished was getting the Councilwoman's name in the local media,
since bedbugs were a hot new issue in the Big Apple at the time and
introducing any legislation related to bedbugs would be sure to get some
press. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Bedbugs are still a huge <a href="http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/new-yorkers-not-letting-the-bedbugs-bite-1.5495781" target="_blank">problem</a> in NYC. Other cities like Toronto and Cincinnati came up with comprehensive plans to deal with their bed bug problem, while the Rotten Apple still moves at the speed of government. City "leaders" finally decided to do something in 2010, having established their slow-to-birth bedbug advisory board on paper (not in real life) a year before. But by then, the bed bug problem had become a widespread epidemic, making New York City infamous as a safe haven for the insects.<br />
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When I say infamous, I mean there are a lot of New Yorkers up here in Manchester, and some of them have told me tales of landlords spraying the inside of the moving trucks upon learning their new tenants just moved from New York City (as if Red Sox fans needed one more reason to hate New Yorkers). The city's reputation for being lax on bedbugs is the stuff of legend, and one that will most likely persist for years, if not decades. When bed bug reports trickled in Manchester and other parts of southern New Hampshire, New York transplants were quickly blamed. I still tell native New Englanders that not all New Yorkers have bed bugs. Whether they believe me is another thing. Being the media capital of the nation has its drawbacks, especially since headlines of bed buggery in the Big Apple are often spread throughout the U.S. and beyond.<br />
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Here in New Hampshire, bedbugs have been mostly found in local homeless shelters, but have been found in residential homes as well. It's easier to curb, though, as most people live in small structures that are not attached to neighboring structures (like New York brownstones or sprawling apartment complexes). Real estate is not at a premium like it is in NYC, so homes are more spread out, shorter (the tallest building in the entire state is only 12 stories high!). Throwing a fumigation tent over a dwelling is far more doable here than say, a 10-story apartment building.<br />
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I guess I was disappointed and disillusioned back in 2006 when I saw that the city and state governments were only making token gestures to address the local bedbug infestation, which was a serious problem for millions of New Yorkers. With its opulent buildings, officials with their lofty titles, and massive budgets, it's easy for one to be fooled into thinking that an expansive and expensive government will swoop in and solve your problems. That was me, seven years ago.<br />
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What did jumpstart the bedbug response in NYC was not coercive government, but the voluntary actions of concerned citizens. One computer programmer created the <a href="http://bedbugregistry.com/" target="_blank">Bedbug Registry</a>, which allows people to pinpoint on a map of North America where in their city or town bedbugs have been found. Back in NYC, people were setting up New York-centric bedbug blogs and pressuring local politicians to meet with them at informational meetups. Before the City Dept. of Health even came up with their bedbug factsheets, ordinary New Yorkers were disseminating information and debunking myths about bedbugs via message boards and blogs.<br />
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And what has City Hall accomplished? Passing a law requiring all discarded mattresses and box springs, regardless of whether they are infested, to be wrapped in a sealed plastic bag. Failure to do so results in a $100 fine. Sounds like the law is more about revenue collection than about curbing the spread of bedbugs, since it does not address cushioned chairs or sofas. Yeah, because NYC is all about jacking its people for one more dollar, one of the reasons I left. I felt that for all the taxes I paid as a New Yorker, the least the city could do was rid New Yorkers of the bedbug epidemic as many smaller cities were doing.<br />
<br />
So what does the city of Manchester, NH do to curb its bedbug problem? About the same as New York City. The only difference is that the starting salary for a NYC council member is <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/08/02/are-city-council-members-underpaid-at-112000/" target="_blank">$112,000</a> a year while the salary (which does not increase with time) for a Manchester alderman is <a href="http://www.manchesternh.gov/portals/2/departments/city_clerk/Ordinances%20Title%20III%20Administration.pdf" target="_blank">$4,000</a> a year. While state politicians in Albany enjoy a starting annual salary of <a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/06/18/new-york-state-legislators-eye-hiking-their-pay-possibly-to-more-than-100000-a-year/" target="_blank">$79,500</a> (not counting bonuses for sitting on legislative committees or the fact that some of them have been in office for two decades), their counterparts in Concord, New Hampshire's state capitol, are paid a princely sum of <a href="http://www.snopes.com/politics/politicians/newhampshire.asp" target="_blank">$100</a> a year.<br />
<br />
I guarantee, the legislators in New Hampshire care as much (or as little) about bedbugs infestations as the politicians in New York. Civic leaders and politicians seems to have formed a <a href="http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/06/24/the-nh-bedbugs-project/" target="_blank">Bed Bug group</a> about the same time as NYC. The difference? New Hampshire has...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>no state or city income tax</li>
<li>no general sales tax</li>
<li>no alcohol tax</li>
<li>no capital gains tax</li>
<li>the lowest tobacco tax in the northeast (Newports are $5)</li>
<li>and property and business taxes still lower than anything you'll find in New York!</li>
</ul>
Yeah, there are some drawbacks and advantages to moving from a city of eight million to a city of 110,000 to say nothing about a town that is 86% <a href="http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/33/3345140.html" target="_blank">white</a> (not that that's a bad thing). The buses only come once an hour and stop running after 6pm, but I can always take a $4 dollar taxi home from downtown Manchester. I always have discretionary income, something I never had in New York. I can afford to buy healthier food, I breathe cleaner air and enjoy a far less oppressive police force. <br />
<br />
After living for a year in the city's poorest borough (the Bronx) in a condemned illegal apartment, I still could not afford to live in NYC and was faced with the prospect of leaving New York or moving back with my mom. I was actually considering moving to Texas or Georgia for the lower tax burden and subsequently, lower cost of living. Thank goodness I found out about New Hampshire. <br />
<br />
I actually did have a bedbug scare earlier this year. A friend who had been staying in a homeless shelter here in Manchester slept on my couch. In retrospect I should've checked him and his backpack for bedbugs before letting him in my home. But I wasn't thinking about bedbugs and homeless shelters. He left a week later and I found what I quickly recognized as spots of bedbug feces on my couch and discarded exoskeletons associated with bedbug gestation. That fucking couch practically flew out of my apartment and to the curb, where I wrote BED BUGS on it with a black sharpie. I wasn't going to wait until I actually saw the bugs themselves, most likely nestled within the wood and fabric nooks of the sofa.<br />
<br />
Since then, my bedbug paranoia has increased 1000% even though I have not seen a bedbug or any signs of bedbugs. Now I remember why I stopped blogging here. Just writing this is making me itch like crazy. <br />
<br />
Oh, yeah: I'm single now. I kicked M to the curb in 2011 when I discovered she was screwing the next door neighbor's husband behind my back. Luckily, I'm living in a city where I can actually afford to live alone and not depend on another person's income to stay afloat financially, though it would be nice if I had a car. Not sure what else to write, not sure when I will blog here again.<br />
<br />
For those of you suffering from bedbugs, there is hope. And for those of you still recovering from bedbug PTSD, if there's a cure, I'll let you know as soon as I find it.<br />
<br />Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-72431687614758774552010-10-01T14:25:00.000-04:002010-10-02T01:08:45.022-04:00Poll ResultsA few of my polls have closed so I figured I'd put up the results before deleting them.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What have you parted with in the last 12 months due to bed bugs?</span><br />Of the 48 people who responded to this poll:<br /><br />Sense of security: 75%<br />Sanity: 72%<br />Mattress: 52%<br />Bed frame, including headboard: 33%<br />Other furniture: 31%<br />Couch: 20%<br />Apartment: 20%<br />Friends: 20%<br />Significant other: 4%<br />Job/job prospects: 4%<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If you have seen bed bugs on the train or bus, where have you seen them?</span><br />Of the nine people who responded to this poll:<br /><br />I don't live in New York City but have seen them on my local transit system: 44%<br />Queens: 22%<br />The Bronx: 11%<br />Metro North: 11%<br />Yellow taxi: 11%<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If you can think of one thing that bed bugs most smell like, what would that thing be?</span><br />Of the 31 people who responded to this poll:<br /><br />Rotten blood: 25%<br />Rotten eggs and testicles: 16%<br />Musk (like an animal in heat): 16%<br />Coriander: 12%<br />Rust: 12%<br />Rubbing alcohol: 12%<br />Other: 3% (Those who chose Other offered their comments in the Nov. 2007 "Sniff, Sniff" entry<br />and said they smell like nothing, rotting flesh and dirty gym socks.)<br /><br />These were far more fun than they were scientific, so thanks for participating, and please join in on Bugged Out's other polls.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-22127092881942254522009-04-28T02:43:00.003-04:002009-04-28T03:07:12.781-04:00Bugged Out Is Moving On......the new location is www.buggedout.org<br /><br />Thanks for the free blog, Blogger. It's been real. But I'm moseying on down to my own domain and WordPress and dropping the blogspot from the name.<br /><br />Because so many sites have linked to bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com, this site will remain as it is, but this post will serve as the final update.<br /><br />Art Through Pain Spring 2009 has received <a href="http://www.buggedout.org/2009/04/27/our-first-entry/">its first entry</a>!<br /><br />Later.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-6789125260014653512009-04-06T09:37:00.005-04:002009-04-28T03:08:42.931-04:00"Art Through Pain" Spring 2009I know it's been quite a while since I blogged, and I apologize for that. In the last two months, I have:<br /><ul><li>Moved out with M from my apartment in Queens and all the packing involved<br /></li><li>Moved to a bigger apartment in the Bronx and all the unpacking involved<br /></li><li>Got more steady work (a lot more)</li><li>Had no Internet connection for about a month as I waited for Verizon to transfer my connection to my new apartment<br /></li><li>Begun to start my own catering business with M, purchasing supplies, designing the website myself and dealing with all the government paperwork</li></ul>But let me get to the point...<br /><br />I am holding the first semi-annual Art Through Pain contest from now until June 1, 2009. I will only allow submissions that express one's bed bug experience.<br /><br />The categories for artwork are as follows:<br /><ol><li>Written word (essays, poetry, short fiction)<br /></li><li>Visual (photography, painting, sketches, photos of sculptures, graphic design)<br /></li><li>Video...nothing more than five minutes. You can upload it onto Youtube and send me the link. (sketch comedy, short film, dancing)</li><li>Music..Follows the same rules as video submissions (original music or parodies of existing songs with a bed bug theme.</li></ol>Winners in each of these categories will receive a prize. Due to my current budget and the fact I poured my entire tax return into this apartment, I can only afford $25 for each winner. Each winner will receive a $25 gift card for whatever they want. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, calling cards, Applebee's, etc. Just tell me which one you want and provide me with an address to send it to. If you live in New York City, you can also request a $25 Metrocard.<br /><br />Once the four winners are determined a second contest after June will consist of those four winning entries to win the grand prize, which is....<br />another $25 gift card or Metrocard.<br /><br />Voting for your favorite entry (sorry, you can only pick one) will be available after June 1.<br /><br />You can send your artistic expressions to <span>artthrupain@buggedout.org<br /><br />Good luck, and have fun!<br /></span>Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-87209305513631765832009-01-16T15:55:00.003-05:002009-01-16T17:31:20.661-05:00Bed Bugs (Short Fiction)I decided to get the ball rolling on the whole art through pain thing that I'm trying to do over here, so I'm sharing a short story I wrote inspired by my experience with bed bugs. Please offer any feedback in the comments area.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Bed Bugs<br />By Bugged Out<br /><br /></div>I lie in bed, reading a book. The warm night air wraps around me like a fuzzy blanket as I peacefully turn the pages. The light buzz from my tabletop fan is the only thing that breaks the silence on an otherwise unusually tranquil night. Suddenly, in the corner of my eye I see a scurrying dot, taking a casual evening stroll on the tiled linoleum. I twist my upper body in reaction and fix my vision on the dot. A bed bug.<br /><br />Despite the cozy dimensions of my bedroom I still have a hard time chasing the tiny beast. I slam the toe of the sneaker three or four times where the bed bug is, but it continues to flee after each attempt. It climbs up the wall and slips behind a large piece of furniture. I crouch nearby, waiting for the intruder to come out from behind. I remain still and listen, as if waiting to hear tiny footsteps but my tense, nervous breath is the only sound I hear. That, and the tiny red bumps on my legs and arms that itch so badly they almost seem to make a noise of their own.<br /><br />If I were a Cherokee in colonial North America or a Bushman in the Kalahari, this position would be appropriate for hunting an enormous, ferocious wild animal like a bison or lion. But here I am, a slightly freaked out New Yorker crouching in an apartment in Queens, pledging death to a weightless creature no bigger than the nail on my smallest finger. Despite its tiny stature, their presence brings on a psychological attack most of us cannot stand. At least roaches run away from you; with bed bugs, it’s you they’re running after. A hunter that waits for its prey to sleep before sitting down to a supple blood meal. The itching, the sleepless nights, the itching, the antiseptic scrubbing rituals, the itching, the fear of friends and family finding out, the itching, the throwing out of furniture…did I mention the itching?<br /><br />My knees grow weary from being in this position, so with no sight of the beast I stand up and consider the hunt a lost cause. I return to my bed and to my book only to see five minutes later another bed bug, or perhaps the same one from before. I spring into action and on this attempt, successfully slay the tiny beast. I lift up my sneaker to see the tiny corpse flattened and pressed into the treads of the rubber soles. I warily prepare a wad of toilet paper, half-afraid the insect may come back to life and extract its revenge upon me. Allow me to better explain the source of this fear.<br /><br />Sometimes, when hit with an object such as a sneaker, you find the beast’s seemingly lifeless body underneath, as still as a spot on the floor. Confident in your success, you turn to grab a tissue to pick up the corpse. In that fraction of time in which your attention is turned elsewhere, the bed bug “comes back to life” and scurries away. Although the insect may have simply been stunned by the blow and not killed at all, it is this illusion of immortality and/or invincibility that, along with the whole blood sucking thing, strikes fear into the hearts of so many humans.<br /><br />Though this beast is now nothing more than a hairy brownish-black paste stuck to my sneaker, the fear of its possible immortality is still present. The hairs inside my nostrils stand on end as I smell its distinctive musk. I’m not sure whether it is a pleasant aroma or a foul odor; the scent’s instant association with bed bugs has already turned my stomach a bit. I quickly scrape the remains off with the tissue and rush to the toilet to flush it all down. My paranoia wouldn’t let me throw it in the trash and risk it coming back to life, crawling out of the trash can and seeking revenge.<br /><br />It’s encounters like these that truly make me question the superiority of the human species. How great can humans be if our confidence and sense of security can be blown away not by an attack but by the mere presence of a creature, on average no bigger than a fingernail? Dogs and cats, which we consider to be lower than ourselves would never panic at the sight of a bed bug. Even a well-fed pet would lick its lips in delightful anticipation of trapping any insect in its jaws and enjoying a light snack. Ironically these are the same animals we allow to lick our faces.<br />All these thoughts about bed bugs have caused me to forget all about my sordid little murder mystery. I climb back into bed and resume flipping through the pages of my book. Suddenly, I feel something crawling up my leg. In reflex I jump and wildly fling my leg from side to side. The beast flies off and onto the floor, fleeing faster than most bed bugs I’ve seen in a long time. <br /><br />Grabbing my trusty sneaker, I slide off the bed and give chase. But it’s too fast for me, slipping into an air vent. My paranoia blazes outside the realm of logic. Could the beast I assassinated earlier have swam back up the pipes to my toilet and charged towards my bedroom, vengeance in mind? I soon shake off the fear, give up and resume once more to my book. A few seconds later I feel the faint weight of tiny legs on my left thigh. <br /><br />I react the same way I did before, shaking myself wildly as if in a seizure. I look frantically at my immediate surroundings, but the beast is nowhere to be found. As soon as I calm myself and lie back down, I feel three more bed bugs on my back, making me jump. I try to shake off and kill the beasts, but they, too have vanished.<br /><br />It’s then I realize I am being attacked by the one creature more menacing than a bed bug. The imaginary bed bug, born in a nest of sheer paranoia. With my biological alarm system set on high sensitivity, my senses are plagued by the onslaught of countless imaginary bed bugs, crawling on any given part of my body at any time.<br /><br />I spend the next half hour sweeping up and down my torso, legs, arms and even my privates with my hands, “feeling” the beasts’ presence. Although the book is right in front of me, I don’t think I’ve read more than a page since my first bed bug sighting. Convinced that no more reading will be done tonight, I put the book aside and force myself to go to sleep. This only fans the flame of paranoia that burns inside. The absence of bright light leaves me vulnerable to those bed bugs I cannot see.<br /><br />The imaginary bed bugs continue to invade me, but now in multitudes. I feel dozens of them in my hair, legs, arms and the rest of my body. They crawl on me, and I jump up, toss and turn wildly. I keep telling myself that these attacks are simply a figment of my imagination, with little success as my paranoia rages on.<br /><br />Suddenly I jump out of my sleep and to my horror, I find myself covered with bed bugs. So many atop my body they must crawl on each other just to move around. My sight is impaired due to the bed bugs that squeeze in and out of the tiny space between my eyeballs and their sockets. They lay nests in my eyes, and millions of babies hatch, born trapped between my lens and retina. My body throbs with the pricks of hundreds of simultaneous bed bug bites, their sharp little beaks piercing through my insides.<br /><br />I’m getting some imaginary bed bugs right now just writing this.<br /><br />I try to scream, but my mouth is crammed with bed bugs. My tongue cannot even move, my mouth is so packed with beasts. The bed bugs find their way into every orifice in my body, even in the tiny slit at the end of my penis. I try to breathe, but my lungs are filled with them. I can feel babies being born down there as my lungs burn from lack of oxygen. The beasts crawl up my anus; I can feel them exploring my small intestine and stomach. I can only pray that the stomach acid dissolves them.<br /><br />I feel the beasts swimming inside me. My brain, devoid of oxygen, breaks down. Everything goes black. Just before I die I feel the bed bugs tearing through my flesh before finally bursting through to the surface. Bloodstained beats spill out of my chest and stomach through the enormous crimson gash.<br /><br />I wake up from the nightmare, flinging my body into an upright position, hyperventilating and eyes bulging. The imaginary bed bugs are still there. I shake my legs and arms at their touch before turning on the light. I pick up the remote and aim it at the TV set. Maybe a little 24-hour cable news will put me at ease.<br /><br />Just nothing involving bed bugs.<br /><br />Copyright 2009 Bugged OutBugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-48889977452724077382009-01-15T17:21:00.009-05:002009-01-16T14:24:51.370-05:00Art Through PainDear Reader,<br /><br />I've decided to shift the focus of Bugged Out to serving as a venue where anyone, but New Yorkers especially, can relate their bed bug experiences creatively. All the things that Bugged Out has been up to now will remain but the major focus will be on what I call, "Art Through Pain".<br /><br />Why art? you might ask.<br /><br />Like I've said before, there are already quite a few New York bed bug blogs that do a great job of covering bed bug legislation, tips, personal accounts, etc. I feel that artistic expression is an aspect of New York's bed bug infestation that I do not see being addressed elsewhere.<br /><br />As a professional writer, novice illustrator and lover of percussion instruments, I fully agree with the idea that the arts can be a therapeutic outlet for people going through troubling and even traumatic events, and bed bug infestations count as both. From now on, Bugged Out will be gladly accepting submissions of bed bug-related artwork at artthrupain@buggedout.org.<br /><br />A word on copyright: Though Bugged Out does support anonymity, all artwork will have to come with the name of its creator who I will assume is the copyright holder of the work unless I am informed otherwise. Contrary to what some may believe, copyright law protects works that are displayed on the Internet, so let's keep that in mind as we enjoy some of the art we may see on this blog in the future.<br /><br />What would I love to see on Bugged Out?<br /><ul><li>photography</li><li>poetry</li><li>short fiction</li><li>(photos of) paintings</li><li>graphic design</li><li>essays</li><li>(photos of) sculptures</li><li>original music</li><li>sketch comedy</li><li>a short film (horror, maybe?)<br /></li><li>performing arts (acting, dancing)</li></ul>In an effort to encourage artistic submissions, I will be holding a art contest later this month. Where I come from the term "bugged out" is used to describe losing one's cool in response to a very bad situation. I figured it's only appropriate that Bugged Out shows something created by people to express just how bugged out they are by their bed bug problems.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-20135032134558954732009-01-01T00:40:00.001-05:002009-01-01T15:05:01.718-05:00New Year, New DirectionWhen I started Bugged Out in January 2006, it was because I saw almost no sites or blogs that focused on New Yorkers who were suffering from bed bug infestations. Most of what I saw was advice for people to throw a fumigation tent over their detached homes. I saw a void, and when I saw no one else filling it, I decided to do it myself.<br /><br />But that was then, and this is now. There are many blogs about bed bugs and New York City, Bugged Out kind of gets lost in the crowd. There are a lot of great New York-centric bed bug blogs out there, and most of them have more specific missions that just being an online community for New Yorkers living with bed bugs. And they do a way better job of fulfilling those goals than I ever could.<br /><br />I could commit a lot of time and energy to making Bugged Out about covering bed bug-related legislative policy in cities whose leaders are actually accountable to their constituents or picking out bed bug headlines in the media or chronicling my own personal hardships with bed bugs, things that are already being accomplished elsewhere on the Web. I could just retire Bugged Out and declare it obsolete, leaving it as an archive for readers to browse and only regard as a dead, stagnant tombstone to a blog that once was.<br /><br />Or I can take Bugged Out in a completely new direction by doing the same thing I did three years ago: do something I didn't already see being done.<br /><br />Wow, I just unintentionally used the verb do in four different tenses in the same sentence.<br /><br />But let me get back to the point.<br /><br />Starting January 15...new look, new mission statement, new direction.<br /><br />New Bugged Out.<br /><br />Happy New Year.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-15421963459575262212008-12-26T23:55:00.003-05:002008-12-27T00:07:35.949-05:00Do You See What I See?For those of you familiar with my <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2008/12/they-left-their-calling-card.html">previous post</a> regarding my discovery of bed bug shell casings in a plastic yellow basin of mine, it should be interesting to note that not everyone agrees with my conclusion. Some people are saying they are bed bug eggs, live bugs, dead bugs, babies, etc. Unfortunately, the pictures were taken with a mediocre digital camera and the evidence has since been flushed away.<br /><br />But now I've uploaded the originals, straight from the camera to a specially marked <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Buggedout11354">Picasa Web Photos</a> album. Be sure to use Picasa's zoom function so you can get the best look possible. Also, if anyone wishes to download the pics and enhance the blurrier images with their very expensive Adobe software, they are more than welcome.<br /><br />Have fun, and happy holidays.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-86476658604135309312008-12-17T20:57:00.004-05:002008-12-26T22:06:13.449-05:00They Left Their Calling Card...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0O5g3x2n2Og/SUmuUBDSsnI/AAAAAAAAAKc/1CatGRZQi2I/s1600-h/bed+bug+pan+closeup.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0O5g3x2n2Og/SUmuUBDSsnI/AAAAAAAAAKc/1CatGRZQi2I/s400/bed+bug+pan+closeup.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280943696971477618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0O5g3x2n2Og/SUmuT_rNs4I/AAAAAAAAAKU/i_bFnMvb9Ks/s1600-h/bed+bug+pan.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0O5g3x2n2Og/SUmuT_rNs4I/AAAAAAAAAKU/i_bFnMvb9Ks/s400/bed+bug+pan.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280943696602051458" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Perhaps one of the more annoying aspects of a bed bug infestation is that even when you don't see them anymore, you still come across little discoveries like this just so you know they're never really gone.<br /><br />What you're looking at in this yellow basin are bed bug shell casings. As bed bugs grow, they also grow a new shell which breaks the old shell, kind of like a snake shedding its skin. This basin was empty and under my bed for the last month. Now M and I can't even remember the last time we saw a live bed bug or even been bitten by one, but this disgusting find serves as a friendly reminder that we should never rest easy. We should never stop inspecting our own homes, and most definitely, we should never stop cleaning. Most importantly this discovery serves as a reminder that those who have endured bed bug infestation should never, ever assume their homes are finally bed bug-free.<br /><br />One of my financial goals if for M and I to have enough money one day to hire someone to do all this bed bug cleaning (the weekly mopping, the inspections, etc.) so we can somewhat relax.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-19748719621232938012008-10-15T13:33:00.000-04:002008-11-15T14:07:12.068-05:00Blood Suckers Are All The RageDue to technical difficulties (temporary inability to pay my Verizon bill) I haven't been able to blog the last few weeks.<br /><br />In these last few weeks I've kind of gotten hooked on this new HBO series, <a href="http://www.hbo.com/trueblood/">True Blood</a>. It's really a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_blood">great TV series</a> which M and I watch religiously. The show is set an alternate reality in which vampires do exist and have "come out of the coffin" upon the invention of synthetic blood (the product is called True Blood) originally designed the demands for human blood transfusions but had the unintended side effect of providing vampires with artificial food, so feeding on humans is no longer necessary. The show itself focuses on a fictional Louisiana town called Bon Temps (the name means "good times" in French; I wonder if that's some sort of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_device">literary device</a>) in which a telepathic human waitress falls in love with a vampire and whose boss is secretly a shape-shifter who can change his form to resemble any animal. Anyone who hasn't seen it should definitely check it out on HBO or on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=true+blood&search_type=&aq=f">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />Now there's a new movie, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_%282008_film%29">Twilight</a>, in which a human falls in love with a vampire.<br /><br />Despite my fascination with True Blood, I don't know why this vampire stuff is all the rage. Scores of people have been living with nocturnal blood sucking creatures for the last few years. Where's our HBO TV series? Where's our movie?<br /><br />Shit, I think I'd rather have the vampires than the bedbugs.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-88105301884572160642008-09-27T14:26:00.005-04:002008-10-01T00:46:10.033-04:00The Debates, Bed Bug Disputes Filling Our Courts and Bed Bugs on BroadwayDid anyone see last night's Presidential debate? I wonder where the candidates stand on the bed bug infestation in the U.S.?<br /><br />I came across this story in the <a href="http://www.nysun.com/new-york/bedbugs-emerge-as-new-area-of-housing-law/86658/">New York Sun</a> about how bed bug disputes between landlords and tenants are piling up in the city's courts. One example offered was of a tenant paying $7K a month for an apartment on the Upper East Side who signed a lease without knowing that several floors in the building were undergoing a massive extermination of bed bugs. Now the tenant wants out of the lease, arguing he wouldn't have signed it if he knew about the bed bug infestation.<br /><br />What I'm wondering is, why the hell hasn't this impacted real estate values yet? I mean, everywhere else in the U.S. the mass foreclosure of homes is driving real estate values down, but in New York, people are still being charged $7,000 a month to live in a bed bug-infestation building! Many New Yorkers I know are leaving the city to live in states and buying foreclosed homes to live in because they can no longer afford to pay so much money in NYC for so little space, and no free parking to boot.<br /><br />All I know is that the sky-high rents in New York City will not stay that way forever, and be bugs will definitely play a large role in the devaluing of property.<br /><br />In other news, I guess I was on to something when I started writing my <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2008/09/more-bed-bug-haikus.html">bed bug haikus</a>.<br /><br />I just found about this new musical called <a href="http://www.bedbugsmusical.com/">Bedbugs!</a> Here's the ridiculous synopsis from their website.<br /><br />"80s rock excess meets the Creature Feature. It’s 2012 and Carly, an exterminator hell-bent on avenging her mother’s freak death, has accidentally mutated NYC Bedbugs into bloodthirsty killer Hair Metal Rock Gods. Sweet sidekick Burt has a plan, and troubled Canadian chanteuse Dionne Salon has stumbled onto the scene. But will Carly listen to them and save NYC—or be seduced by her own creation?"<br /><br />It doesn't exactly sound like something I'd pay to see, but apparently it has sold out in the past, so someone must like it. I seriously doubt that anyone in 2012 is listening hair metal rock. I'm glad it died in the 80s.<br /><br />I wish someone would write a musical about living with bed bugs in New York City. No shortage of drama and conflict in that story!Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-66707268284283699392008-09-09T21:01:00.005-04:002008-09-11T02:02:18.531-04:00More Bed Bug Haikus!<meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 10"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CDANIEL%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-update:auto; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:24.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">I didn't know what to blog about this week and I had a bit of a creative streak, so I churned out some more <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2007/11/bed-bug-haikus-part-two.html">bed bug</a> <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2007/09/bed-bug-haikus-part-one.html">haikus</a>.
<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/">
<br /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/">R</a> wants a task force</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">But her pleas fall on deaf ears</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Bloomberg’s bed bug-free</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">R wants a task force</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Can we trust the government?</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Ask the Indians</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">A <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2008/09/menage-trois-not-cool-kind.html">menage a trois</a>!</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">M, a bug and me</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Not very sexy</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://bedbugblog.blogspot.com/">Caitlin’s</a> M.I.A.</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Her bed bugs, long time no see</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">They are just hiding</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Bed bugs in <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-08-20-bedbugs-dorms_N.htm">college</a>?</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Students with bites and huge debts?</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Stay home; get a job</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Renee still insists</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">On City bed bug task force</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">But pols do nothing</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="ES">
<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="ES">***</span></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="" lang="ES"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="ES">Hey, <a href="http://bedbugger.com/">nobugsonme</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="ES">Hablo espanol tambien!<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Bed bugs just speak bite.<o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">For bed bug orgies<o:p></o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Poor <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2008/08/bad-news-for-bushwick.html"><st1:place>Brooklyn</st1:place></a> is Ground Zero</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Thank God I’m in <st1:place>Queens</st1:place></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Exterminators</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">$300 a room</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Go out and turn tricks</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Exterminators</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">$300 a room</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Time to sell cocaine</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">$300</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">For bed bug control</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Where is price control?</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Let’s get together</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Start our own bed bug task force</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Cuz’ Council does zilch</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Bugs on your mattress</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Bites all over your body</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Which wrist to slash first?</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">***</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Just pick up your phone</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Tell 311 bed bug woes</p><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">Who promptly do zilch</p><p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal">
<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Feel free to share your own bed bug haikus. Remember, the first line is 5 syllables, the second line is 7 syllables and the third line is 5 syllables! Have fun! </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-22524281346571284392008-09-02T17:49:00.003-04:002008-09-02T18:46:35.543-04:00Menage a Trois (not the cool kind)I knew I'd come in contact with a live bed bug in my home sooner or later, but not like this.<br /><br />Before yesterday, I hadn't seen a live bed bug in my home for about a month, which is why I didn't have much to blog about. But yesterday M and I were engaged in foreplay on the bed [we had misplaced our clothes ;) ] and we were kissing when she stopped and told me I had a small brown bed bug on my cheek. Using her fingernails as tweezers she expertly plucked it off my face, and apparently the bug's beak was still penetrating my flesh because it stung a bit as she jerked it off (the bed bug, not me).<br /><br />Unfortunately, M and I are not swingers, so we instead invited our little go-in-between to a friendly game of <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2007/10/burn-baby-burn.html">Bed Bug Barbecue</a>. Needless to say, the romantic mood was shot and we got dressed faster than a john in a haunted whorehouse.<br /><br />My only dilemma, besides having seen a live bed bug in my home, is that I have no idea whether the bed bug was male or female. I don't know whether I should just be grossed out or if I should join the <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/22/news/britain.php">Royal Navy</a>.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-66988012728548737632008-08-22T19:36:00.004-04:002008-08-23T23:50:07.612-04:00A Bed Bug Task ForceApparently another <a href="http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/">bed bug blogger</a> was so moved by my last post that she decided to offer a <a href="http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2008/08/11/bugged-out-thinks-were-wasting-our-time/">one-word rebuttal</a>.<br /><br />Renee has had this campaign for a bed bug task force to be established in this city for a while. Unfortunately, she's waiting for the <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2006/04/lame-legislature.html">government</a> to get around to it. For those of you familiar with Bugged Out, I've been chronicling an <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2008/05/report-from-councilwoman-gale-brewer.html">endless journey</a> to nowhere as the <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2006/09/bed-bug-hearing-news-search.html">City Council</a> pretends to help New Yorkers. In January 2006 <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2006/03/brewer-update-2.html">Councilwoman Gale Brewer</a> introduced into the Council legislation that would ban the sale of reconditioned mattresses, ban new mattresses from being transported next to new ones and establish a Bed Bug Task Force. Long story short, the bill died in committee and is dead until further notice.<br /><br />I feel that no matter how many times Councilwoman Brewer re-introduces her bed bug bill, it will meet the same fate. I responded to the post titled "Bugged Out Thinks We're Wasting Our Time" and suggested that Renee is not wasting her time by calling for a bed bug task force in New York City, she's just wasting her time if she's going to wait for the government to establish one. The City Council had two and a half years to get this going; it seems a bed bug task force would have to come from the private sector, in the form of a nonprofit organization.<br /><br />I'd really like to discuss launching a nonprofit bed bug task force, but I have no idea what it takes to start a nonprofit organization, or specifically what social services could such an organization offer to those suffering from a bed bug infestation.<br /><br />Any suggestions?Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-22006459581394384272008-08-11T15:54:00.002-04:002008-08-11T18:24:00.883-04:00New PollWriting about government intervention in regards to bed bug infestations inspired me to launch a brand new poll on my side bar asking visitors if they've ever turned to the government for help with their bed bug problems, and if so, who in government did they turn to? Please participate in the polls. They're slightly more fun than putting on your socks and every week a randomly selected poll respondent will receive a permanent black marker with which to mark their recently discarded furniture as infested.<br /><br />I personally have not contacted the government mostly because I have no faith in the government's ability to do anything well. <br /><br />But for those who have slightly less pessimistic than I am in the belief that government is a necessary evil and have actually contacted government officials for help in this matter, what has the response been? If you wish to share you story on this blog entry, please indicate which government agency helped you in this matter and if you're not in the U.S., tell us which country you live in.<br /><br />Thanks.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-24762244455947761962008-08-09T19:15:00.003-04:002008-08-11T02:54:15.954-04:00Bad news for Bushwick...Leave it to the Brooklyn Eagle to give readers <a href="http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=27&id=22410">in-depth coverage of the bed bug situation in Brooklyn</a>. Unlike the Daily Snooze and other New York dailies, the Eagle doesn't have their covers plastered with the Yankees or Paris Hilton.<br /><br />That's the only good news here. The bad news is that according to <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/threeoneone">311</a>, Bushwick is the "bed bug capital of Brooklyn", logging 550 complaints of bed bug infestations from that neighborhood only in the first six months of 2008. Stay away from those benches in Bushwick Park!<br /><br />The runners-up for the title are Flatbush, Midwood and Prospect Park South. Other honorable mentions include Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn, and Boerum Hill with Mill Basin and Flatlands coming in dead last in number of bed bug infestation complaints.<br /><br />The article also contains a few personal testimonies and a few basic tips I'm sure we're all familiar with by now. Pretty well-written and reported.<br /><br />The article made me wonder how my own neighborhood ranked in regard to bed bug complaints so I Googled bed bug 311 complaints. As a result, I came across this interesting bed bug blog which featured <a href="http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2008/06/26/bed-bug-math-redux/">311 bed bug complaints for every neighborhood in New York</a>. Actually, the areas are not categorized by our city's vague neighborhood boundaries but rather by <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/lucds/cdstart.shtml#mbs">Community Districts</a>, which may encompass more than one neighborhood (you have to scroll down a bit to find the chart).<br /><br />According to the chart, which only tracks up to June 19, 2008, Bushwick, with 550 complaints logged, is not only the bed bug capital of Brooklyn but of all five boroughs as well. The runners-up citywide are Washington Heights/Inwood (477 complaints), Flatbush/Ocean Parkway/Midwood (364), West Harlem/Morningside Heights/Manhattanville/Hamilton Heights (332), and Central Harlem (330). Given these statistics it's hard not to determine that the bed bug infestation in New York is concentrated in Brooklyn and upper Manhattan.<br /><br />But I have to question the accuracy of 311 complaints as an indicator of which neighborhoods are have the highest rates of infestation because I don't think that most New Yorkers think to call 311 about a bed bug infestation. I certainly didn't call 311 about my problems, but that's only because I don't expect the government to do anything about it. But I've had a lot of people suggest I write my Congressman or my Councilman or my Senator. As if that will do anything.<br /><br />Despite all of its most expensive efforts, the government can't keep people from getting high, it can't stop racism or sexism in the workplace, it can't prevent gun violence, it can't combat poverty, can't bring democracy to Iraq, can't keep illegal aliens out of this country, it can't keep jobs from going overseas, it can't teach children basic skills, it can't provide health insurance for everyone who needs it, it can't respond to emergencies in a timely fashion, it can't rebuild Ground Zero even after seven years, it can't provide adequate health care for its soldiers, it can't help people who are losing their homes, it can't balance the national deficit, it can't prevent terrorist attacks, it can't adequately equip its troops, it can't find Osama bin Laden, it can't rehabilitate criminals, it can't keep politicians from accepting lobbyist "gifts", it can't control who or what passes through its borders, it can't keep teenagers from having sex, it can't guarantee its citizens guaranteed Constitutional civil rights, it can't keep prostitutes off the streets, it can't put out a bunch of forest fires at once, it can't protect the public from trans fats or second-hand smoke, it can't lower gas prices, it can't figure out whether or not a foreign country has weapons of mass destruction, it can't adequately protect its own nuclear energy facilities from terrorist attack, it can't facilitate a remotely democratic electoral system, and it can't protect the environment.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Given all the ongoing and historic failures of government, why the hell would I ever think my government could do a thing about a bed bug infestation?</span><br /><br />If anything, government may actually be the problem. Two words: DDT ban.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-73394607602162493082008-07-21T13:26:00.004-04:002008-07-24T06:23:06.077-04:00Does the Media Hate Bed Bugs, Or Just The People Who Have Bed Bugs?Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I was recently in the hospital for six days due to a serious diabetes-related ulcer in my left foot. As a result, I lost my job at AM New York and am currently taking nausea-inducing antibiotics and am hooked up to a <a href="http://www.kci1.com/88.asp">small machine</a> that sucks out the infected tissue from the wound.<br /><br />The good news?<br /><ol><li>My doctor reports that my infection is 75% healed.</li><li>I did not see one bed bug at the hospital where I stayed which was a great relief to me because while I only see dead bed bugs in my home and a live one rarely, I was still very afraid of carrying a bug to the hospital. I've experience a rise in bed bug paranoia ever since I found out an <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2008/05/watch-your-wires.html">unused extension cord</a> had become a nest for bed bugs.<br /></li></ol>I did find an interesting article regarding <a href="http://lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080715/NEWS02/807150418/-1/SPORTS">bed bug infestations in precinct jail cells and police cruisers</a>, this time in New Rochelle, a small town in Upstate New York. It amazes me how ignorant most people are in regards to bed bugs. I've met many people (mostly Americans) who think that bed bugs do not exist outside of New York City. I don't quite understand the logic behind this theory (perhaps they are associating bed bugs with a particular ethnic group in New York City) but I am always pleased when I read about bed bugs infesting areas that are far away from New York City.<br /><blockquote><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 153);"></span>"Capt. Kevin Kealy said the issue first cropped up about three weeks ago, when some prisoners in the cell block complained of insect bites. There are no mattresses or cushioned surfaces, just a solid sleeping bench in the holding cells, he said, but bed bugs were discovered on the floor. The cell block was quarantined for three days of chemical applications to exterminate the bugs, Kealy said. "That seemed to have worked," Kealy said. But then bugs turned up in three radio cars from different tours, including a car used for a daytime tour of duty yesterday. The car was taken out of commission for 24 hours so it could be fumigated, he said."</blockquote>Now some people might read that article and come to the conclusion that criminals spread bed bugs, or confirm some misconception that only poor people spread bed bugs, since most blue-collar criminals are poor. I think some people just like to equate bed bugs with a particular group to offer some logic or explanation toward the spread of bed bugs, or in some cases, their own bed bug infestation. For example, someone might believe that only people from the Middle East bring bed bugs to America and may think to themselves, "what Middle Eastern person have I been in contact with the past few days?" and use this mis belief to express their own real prejudice against people of Middle Eastern descent.<br /><br />I don't know, I'm just babbling. Sometimes I feel like the media depicts people suffering from bed bugs in an unfavorable light, as if they're telling their audience, "This could never happen to you; these people are very different from you and I." In this particular article, only the inmates (and one cop) are reported as having suffered bug bites, and the inmates are directly blamed for having introduced the bugs to the cruisers and jail cells, even though the officers' locker room, which is obviously one part of the precinct a suspect would never be allowed to enter, is also fumigated.<br /><p class="graph"></p><blockquote><p class="graph">The original bed bugs must have come in on a prisoner, he said. While the county jail said they did not have "a massive infestation," it only takes one person to carry in the bugs and create a problem, Kealy said.<br /></p><p class="graph">"The concern is even if you exterminate every inch of the place, another prisoner could bring them in and they re-infest," Kealy said.</p></blockquote><p class="graph"></p>Myabe this is just isolated to American media or New York media. I know Bugged Out is visited by a lot of people from across the U.S.A. and around the world, so can anyone tell me about the quality of media coverage of bed bugs in their hometown or country?<br /><br />Thanks.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-60185562139765635462008-06-29T18:13:00.003-04:002008-06-29T18:28:34.717-04:00Bed Bug Alert/New JobI haven't had too much time to blog because I went from having no job to having two jobs. When it rains it pours, right?<br /><br />The first job I'll blog about later, but my morning job is for AM New York, a free daily newspaper here in New York City. My job is basically to stand near a subway station and hand out copies to passersby (mostly commuters) from 6:30 am to about 9:30.<br /><br />AM New York doesn't pay much, but when I haven't been able to find work anywhere else, I've relied on AM New York to at least provide me with a steady paycheck until I can find something better. This is like my third time working for the company in three years. I don't make a lot of money, but at least my supervisors and the public treat me with more respect than when I worked as maintenance at a supermarket or as a cashier at a wholesale club. Plus I'm located within walking distance from my other job.<br /><br />If you want to stop over and say hi, I'm at the 116th Street station near Columbia University in Morningside from 6:30 to 9:30. I can talk and hand out newspapers at the same time, so you can tell me about your own bed bug experience and take a newspaper, too.<br /><br />About the bed bug alert, maybe it's just me but the 116th Street station smells like bed bugs. Maybe you can come down and tell me for yourself if the station smells like bed bugs, if you're familiar with their pungent odor.<br /><br />Later.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-71151855451329757192008-06-04T16:21:00.004-04:002008-06-06T11:15:19.374-04:00How To Tell A Friend About Your Bed Bug ProblemI've received a few comments from people who don't know what to tell their friends in regards to their infestation, or from people who've had bad experience revealing their bed bug problems to friends and family.<br /><br />Like this comment from one understandably freaked-out Australian:<br /><blockquote>I am very conscious that everyone I have told ("friends") think that I've done something to bring this upon myself, and also that it's not a big deal. Of course, offer to show them the bugs, and they FREAK OUT and flatly refuse. It's real hypocrisy in action. </blockquote>There is no easy answer to this. The answer really depends on who it is you're telling. The one thing you can be sure of is that you can definitely tell who your real friends are by telling them about your bed bug infestation. My advice is to tell as few people as possible. God forbid they become infested, either by you or somewhere else, they will blame you or worse, sue you. Better to keep such information to yourself, especially when you have no real way of knowing if your friends got bed bugs from you or from another source.<br /><br />Last week I regained contact with an old friend who I had not seen in years. Our phone conversation became very uncomfortable when he asked me what had been going on in my life in the last few years. Careful to choose what events to tell him, I told him about meeting M, launching my other blog, <a href="http://imnottheonly1.com">I'm Not The Only One</a>, my recent graduation from college, and my hopeless search for steady employment that is now stretching into six months. M invited him over for dinner, and I was nervous because I did not tell him about Bugged Out or about my past bed bug infestation. <br /><br />My friend C came in and my eyebrows shot upwards as he casually dumped his knapsack on my floor. I immediately picked it up and placed it on a chair, saying I didn't want it to get dusty. He stayed for about six hours, and the three of us enjoyed the dinner. Since he and M are both into cooking and are Food Network addicts, they had lots to talk about. M made antipasto salad, steak in a honey barbecue marinade, yellow rice and corn on the cob. We had hazelnut coffee and Stella D'oro cookies for dessert.<br /><br />We had a good time, but bed bugs were always in the back of my mind, wondering if C would find one in my home, or worse, take home a souvenir. As much as I enjoyed his company, I was glad to see him go. I'm not sure how he would react if he found out instead of me telling him. Would he feel I was hiding it from him? Would C suspect I was trying to intentionally pass bed bugs on to him?<br /><br />The problem with telling people I have bed bugs (and I've told very, very few people), the revelation must be accompanied by the drawn-out back story of how I got them, how I lost all my furniture as a result, how I struggled to get rid of them and how I have them under control without actual proof of complete eradication. I know C is a pretty cool guy, and we've known each other for about 8 or 9 years, so he would understand, but might be apprehensive to return. M invited him over for my birthday next month. Maybe I'll tell him before then, at least before he finds out about Bugged Out.Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-81830094442189270752008-05-28T02:03:00.006-04:002008-05-28T09:54:41.750-04:00Watch Your Wires!For those of you in New York City, you know the temperature went up to the 70s this week. I had a standing fan that I had put away during the winter months, and this week I took it back out to make up for the fact that I have no air conditioning. The area of my bedroom where I usually put this fan is too far away from any outlet, so I used a heavy duty extension cord to solve the problem.<br /><br />But instead of unplugging the extension cord from the outlet back in November when I put away the fan, I simply left the extension cord on the floor, splayed out along the wall and still plugged into the outlet, without giving it a second thought.<br /><br />Fast forward back to two days ago: I put the fan in place and get on my knees to plug it into the extension cord, except...<br /><br />...there are bed bugs in the extension cord.<br /><br />The extension cord itself is covered with little dots of bed bug feces, and live bugs are crawling out of it, and some dead bugs fall out of the cord as I pick it up. My eyes follow the length of the cord back to the outlet (actually it's one of those box adapters that turn two outlets into six), where I can see a few specks of bed bug feces. Long story short, I replace the infested cord as M mops the area and carefully wipes down the outlet with rubbing alcohol. <br /><br />I have no idea if the bugs that ventured inside the old extension cord sensed heat from the live electrical currents, mistaking it for body heat. If anyone knows if there's any connection between bed bugs and electricity, it would be great if they could sare with the rest of the class.<br /><br />I usually have a no picture policy at Bugged Out, but I thought it was necessary to show these photos. Let this be a lesson: watch your wires!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0O5g3x2n2Og/SD1jsTth0FI/AAAAAAAAAEI/-A19EBsFE-4/s1600-h/plug+two.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0O5g3x2n2Og/SD1jsTth0FI/AAAAAAAAAEI/-A19EBsFE-4/s400/plug+two.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205426357166788690" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0O5g3x2n2Og/SD1jijth0EI/AAAAAAAAAEA/V0tM-WbOuCo/s1600-h/plug+one.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0O5g3x2n2Og/SD1jijth0EI/AAAAAAAAAEA/V0tM-WbOuCo/s400/plug+one.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205426189663064130" border="0" /></a>Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21462935.post-54481887151423713822008-05-12T18:39:00.002-04:002008-05-13T01:25:10.384-04:00Report From Councilwoman Gale BrewerNew Yorkers have long been disappointed by our City Council to effectively address the bed bug epidemic in their city. In <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2006/01/councilwoman-to-introduce-bed-bug.html">January 2006</a>, Councilwoman Gale Brewer, who represents Manhattan's Upper East Side, announced plans to introduce a bill which if approved would request the City ban the sale reconditioned mattresses and ban new mattresses from from being transported next to new ones and establish a Bed Bug Task Force. Her plans were to introduce this into the Council's Consumer Affairs Committee, which she does by mid-February, where it sits in the Committee for months. <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2006/03/brewer-update-2.html"></a>A spokeperson for Brewer, who promised to put me on a bed bug bill e-mail list, stated that her office wanted to hold a public hearing on the issue before introducing the bill into the Health Committee to gather public testimony that will help her case when she tries to convince Committee members to vote for it. The whole January announcement got her face in the paper, but she sure didn't do anything for New Yorkers suffering from bed bugs.<br /><br />The Consumer Affairs Committee finally holds a <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2006/09/bed-bug-hearing.html">hearing</a> in September 2006. The hearing got a lot of <a href="http://bedbugsnyc.blogspot.com/2006/09/bed-bug-hearing-news-search.html">press</a>, especially for Brewer, but it didn't get much more else done for those New Yorkers living with bed bugs and those yet to have them in their homes. In fact, the Bed Bug bill died in committee. <br /><br />Last week I received an update e-mail from Brewer's office, informing me of her latest move to boldly stand for nothing: On April 29, Councilwoman Brewer wrote a letter to the New York State Department of State to create regulations on how businesses can sanitize used mattresses before reselling them. Here's the letter in its entirety.<br /><br />***<br /><p class="EC_MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 3in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">April 29, 2008</span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Ms. Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez </span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Secretary of State</span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Department of State<br />41 State Street<br />Albany, NY 12231-0001</span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Dear Secretary Cortés-Vázquez: </span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> New York City is trying to find a way to eradicate the bed bug epidemic, and as part of this effort, I would like to obtain more information about rules regarding reconditioned mattresses. Specifically, I would like to be informed about state guidelines for the sterilization process for used bedding. In 1996, the State Legislature passed State Law Article 25A, Section 385, but it seems that rules were not promulgated regarding enforcement of that law by the Department of State or the Department of Health. The law stipulates that these standards are to be used to deem mattresses acceptable for re-sale throughout the state. </span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">We are drafting a Resolution in the Council to request that the Department of State pass such regulations. Many reconditioned mattresses are currently sold without much "reconditioning"; they are simply covered with a new layer of cloth. As this does not sanitize them, bedbugs can continue to live within the newly purchased mattresses. Any guidance on the rules would be helpful, especially any mandatory processes for sanitization before selling the reconditioned mattress.</span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A female bed bug can lay five eggs a day, and over five hundred in her lifetime. These insects bite people as they sleep, causing inflammation to the skin, welts, and itching. They also spread into wall crevices, window and doorframes, electrical boxes, floor cracks, baseboards, furniture, and wall-to-wall carpeting. </span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">People who buy or use second hand mattresses, including families, the elderly and managers of low cost hotels, could end up sleeping on a mattress that is contaminated. Commercial retailers who sell reconditioned mattresses inadvertently victimize these individuals, who then find themselves with the additional economic hardship of hiring professional exterminating services. These mattresses act as nesting places, and are conduits for bedbugs to live and grow. The rising cost of fighting bed bugs impacts all sectors of New York City’s social and commercial life.</span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> If you have any questions, please contact me, or my Chief of Staff, Shula Warren, at (212) 788-6975. I look forward to your response. </span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Sincerely,</span></span></p> <p class="EC_MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.5in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Gale A. Brewer</span></span></p>***<br /><br />She then included a <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24226788/">link</a> from Dateline NBC's latest show, "Bed bugs living in new or refurbished mattress".<br /><br />People who are familiar with <a href="http://imnottheonly1.com/">my other blog</a> know I am a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian">libertarian</a> and do not want government interfering in private affairs, especially in dealing with local business. This is a fine example of why the government should really not get involved in this and many other issues. The politicians pretend to care, hold meetings that go nowhere and lead to nothing. They take forever to address local issues, especially something as serious as bed bugs.<br /><br />I think the private sector has done far more than the government to help the public. I give credit to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for creating their <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24226788/">bed bug pamphlet</a> to better inform New Yorkers about bed bugs, but it really didn't contain any information that most of us weren't already aware of. Information we already got from non-government sources like the pest control industry and various universities and media outlets. Some retailers have solved the problem by selling only used mattresses and completely sealing new mattresses in tough plastic wrapping. <br /><br />So I really do think the private sector did more to help consumers than the government. Perhaps they did it in self-interest (the pest control industry informed New Yorkers to make them realize how badly they need to hire an exterminator, and retailers like Sleepy's refused to sell used mattresses at all in order to win customers over from those retailers who sell refurbished mattresses.), but they got the job done, without any help at all from our lame-duck City Council and local government. Unfortunately, the only thing New York City government excels at is <a href="http://blog.norml.org/2008/04/19/new-york-city%e2%80%99s-eye-popping-racial-disparity-in-marijuana-arrests-to-be-examined-by-bar-association-april-30/">arresting people for marijuana</a>; according to the New York City Bar Association, for every white person arrested on marijuana charges, nine people of color are arrested for the same charges. <br /><br />I believe that if this bed bug problem is ever solved, it will only be done by the private sector, and not by the government. If the government really gave a damn about eradicating bed bugs the only helpful it could ever do is repeal the ban on DDT and at the very least allow it be be researched in an unbiased manner to test its effectiveness of bed bugs and look for any serious side effects of DDT exposure to plants, animals and humans.<span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:85%;"><br /></span>Bugged Outhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07608000523109252337noreply@blogger.com1