woman dead in morgue found to be breathing

a woman went to a hospital with chest pain, was given shocks and oxygen and declared dead. her husband was told she was dead. then someone at the morgue checked to see if she was breathing.. and she was.

read more here!

nataliebeth

declare yourself

this video is pretty cool…

a bunch of celebrities got together to try to convince the american public to register to vote. although i’m generally wary about campaigns like this, it is sponsored by a nonprofit organization, declare yourself.

and i think it’s pretty neat !

watch it…………

nataliebeth

The strange contradiction of abortion and capital punishment

Why is it that the same group of people that are so against abortion, citing the preciousness of life, are also so in favor of the death penalty?  And why is it that the same people that are pro-choice are so against the death penalty, often claiming that we become as bad as the killers by killing them?  Well, what is it, then?  If life is so precious why are we willing to kill people when nothing can be accomplished by it?  On the other side, why is it so awful to kill someone that stole someone else’s life, but okay to destroy a completely innocent person that happens to be in a womb?

In a previous post, Scott commented that the beginning of life has to be determined to know when you’re killing a person and not just an unfeeling, unknowing fetus.  Well, that’s pretty easy to determine.  A person is medically considered dead when brain wave activity ceases.  So, it’s simple: life begins when brain activity begins.

PS - Legally, doctors cannot perform abortions on a viable fetus aka a fetus that could live if ripped from the uterus and given proper care/treatment.  That’s nice, but the doctors that assess the viability are the same that will perform the potential abortion, a clear ethical conflict of interest.

 

kicknz

Synaesthesia: hearing colors, seeing sounds, etc.

Synaesthesia is interesting. You should click here to watch the video to see if you might have synaesthesia.

Some people see colour when listening to mus

US scientists have discovered people who can “hear” what they see.

The rare form of synaesthesia - a condition where senses intermingle - came to light after a student reported “hearing sounds” from a screensaver.

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology then found three more people with the same condition, New Scientist magazine reported.

Those affected performed better in tests of recognising visual patterns than those without the condition.

A more common form of the condition is being able to perceive numbers or letters as colours.

It’s common to find people who have it the other way round - so they see colour when they hear music Dr Julia Simner, Edinburgh University

Several artists have been linked with the condition, including David Hockney who is able to see colour when listening to music.

Dr Melissa Saenz discovered the phenomenon when a group of students were being shown around her lab and one asked if anyone else could hear a pattern of moving dots on a computer screen.

When she questioned him further she realised he matched the criteria for synaesthesia - he had experienced it all his life and it happened with lots of different moving images.

By sending the moving dots image to hundreds of other volunteers, she found three others who could also hear sounds, such as tapping, whirring or whooshing, when watching it.

Tests

To double check they did have synaesthesia she tested their ability to recognise a series of visual patterns.

They either heard a pair of series of beeps or watched a pair of a series of flashes and had to say whether they matched.

Both groups were accurate 85% of the time when they heard the pattern, the results published in Current Biology show.

But when watching it, the individuals with synaesthesia remained 85% accurate while the others dropped to only 55% accuracy.

Dr Saenz said: “I was surprised to realise this particular form had not been reported before and I wanted to see how common it was.

“The goal of the study was to objectively determine if the sound perception was real.”

Dr Julia Simner, who researches synaesthesia at the University of Edinburgh said some forms of the condition were more common than others.

“It’s common to find people who have it the other way round - so they see colour when they hear music.

“The very nice thing about this paper is they have been able to document a kind which we knew was out there but for which we only had hazy knowledge.”

ninjagarden

UPDATE: Princess Chunk the Fat Cat

Saw a similar article in the Des Moines Register today (the following article is more thorough). Sorry, Allison, if you were planning an update post.

This cat may have a condition that attributes to his obesity (I doubt it since it’s brother was also fat)…but if he is fat simply because his owner was feeding him Cheetos…then this should be considered animal abuse. Animals have to deal with the same health issues as humans when obese. And why are people in the media praising this cat’s obesity? They should take this opportunity to warn people of the risks associated with obesity, both for animals and humans. I only saw a brief mention of this in one of the articles I read.

Also, I read that Guinness World Records used to have a “Fattest Cat” category, but decided to drop it because they feared that owners might harm their animals in an attempt to break the record…as much as I hate to admit it, I think people probably would do idiotic things like force-feed their pets. Ugh…okay enough ranting, here’s the article!!!!!!!

Princess Chunky a male named Powder - victim of economic downturn

By Karen Langley

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

South Jersey’s feline darling would be better called Prince Chunky, according to a veterinarian who examined the 44-pound stray this morning on Live with Regis and Kelly.But the modified title is unlikely to take hold now that shelter officials know Princess Chunky’s real name is Powder, as ‘foster mother’ and Camden County Animal Shelter volunteer Deborah Wright of Sicklerville told the show’s hosts.

Shelter officials received a call from the owner, a senior citizen who lost her home to foreclosure and is now staying with friends. Because of her circumstances, the owner said she was “very sad” she could no longer care for the 44-pound cat, shelter executive director Jennifer Andersch said in a telephone interview this morning.

Powder’s owner, who Andersch would not name, was able to find a home for the cat’s brother - a big cat who is still “not nearly as chunky as Chunky,” Andersch said.

The cat formerly known as Chunky tipped the scales - literally. Cat scales can only measure to 25 pounds, so shelter workers used a dog scale to determine its weight, which falls only two pounds short of the Guinness world record for heaviest cat.

Andersch said the shelter has received hundreds of calls about the cat and at least 20 formal applications to adopt Powder.

The new details of Powder’s past emerged at the start of the cat’s biggest day yet. The fat feline - only two pounds shy of the Guinness world record - will follow its morning appearance on Live With Regis and Kelly with spots on other national TV shows.

“We in the media love a 44-pound cat,” co-host Kelly Ripa said as she petted Powder’s white hair.

It’s been quite a catwalk for Powder, found wandering the patio of a Voorhees apartment complex Friday and now staying in Manhattan’s posh Le Park Meridien, courtesy of TV producers.

The pussycat’s sex had been a subject of debate. Animal shelter employees named the cat “Captain Chunk” but soon decideded it was female. “Princess” was selected as a better courtesy title, and foster mom Wright tweaked the pet’s title so it became known as “Princess Chunky.”

After the owner claimed the cat was male, Andersch decided a vet would need to make the final call.

“Is it possible this cat is so dang fat that even though everyone’s looking at it things are hidden?” she said before the show. “It’s possible. We keep looking at this cat’s behind and it looks like a girl to us. But nothing looks really normal on this cat.”

The vet who examined Powder live on national TV said he was confident the cat was male - “He’s like you and me,” he told Regis Philbin.

Live with Regis and Kelly picked up Wright, her teenage niece and Princess Chunky last night in a limo to bring them to New York, where the cat and Wright will also be interviewed today with Fox New York and MSNBC.

“I don’t know anything about New York,” Wright said. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Friday’s schedule includes a Good Morning America appearance and and a CBS show. Wright did a live radio chat yesterday with a program in London.

The media frenzy may be affecting the white and orange domestic cat’s claim to fame.

“With her not eating because she’s nervous, I bet she’s lost a few ounces,” Wright said before the show in a phone interview. “But she loves the attention.”

Powder goes up for adoption Saturday when the state-required seven day waiting period for owners to contact the shelter ends.

“She’s just a sweetheart,” Wright said. “Whoever had her before did take very good care of her.”

The fat cat has seen a veterinarian to get her rabies shots but will have a more extensive appointment to check for thyroid conditions when she returns from her appearances.

sundrumlady

Doors in the Desert: A Response to Modern Ideals

Hi. This is Mandy.

WELL…I’ve noticed that occasionally people write about environmental issues on this blog. These days, terms such as “green,” “eco-friendly,” and the like are carelessly tossed around quite a bit. I’m glad more people are aware of the cause, but I fear that for many, it’s merely a fad which will soon fade into obscurity along with the latest clothing styles and electronic equipment. Personally, I’m working very hard to actually promote such terms as a permanent lifestyle, and I know many of you do the same. I enjoy the endeavor, but sometimes I don’t enjoy the endless amounts of research required to implement a significant lifestyle change. Still, through a lot of trial and even more error, I’ve acquired a solid amount of data, and perhaps I could save others some time (and grief!) by sharing my experiences. I would love to hear what other people are doing, too, because I’ve still got a long way to go in this process.

 

With that, I say we skip the rest of the small talk and get really personal.

 

This is Eco-Sex 101.

 

Birth control is one area where no option is a perfect option. The only 100% eco-friendly and effective contraceptive is abstinence. Surprisingly, many progressive eco-experts tout this as the best option, encouraging couples to get creative between the sheets. But realistically, advocating abstinence didn’t work for the Religious Right, so I don’t think it’s going to work for the tree-huggers, either. I know we’re talking about a more informed audience, but come on – I’m only willing to go so far to reduce my impact. It’s difficult to maintain motivation if you no longer enjoy life.

 

The following is a review of some of the major contraceptives currently available.

 

The Pill:

This is, by far, the worst option in birth control for many reasons. I don’t mind telling you that when I was taking the pill, I experienced an increase in acne, depression, mood swings, anxiety, and weight gain.These are just a few of the minor symptoms not to mention the major ones. Also, the Pill is not vegetarian/vegan friendly. Pharmaceutical companies test on animals and it has been found that hormones in the Pill, which reach water bodies through improper discarding and urine in sewage (those hormones leave our bodies just like any other waste) cause genetic mutations in wildlife. Ultimately, the only benefit of the pill comes if you’re in a stable relationship and don’t want to use a condom.

 

Condoms: Most major condom brands are made of either polyurethane or latex, neither of which is very eco-friendly. Polyurethane is not biodegradable. Like, at all. Latex takes a long time to biodegrade. As in, that condom you used last night probably won’t decompose in your lifetime. And, like the Pill, most condoms are not vegan friendly. They contain casein, a milk protein.

 

HOWEVER, if you are particular about which brand you use, condoms are probably the most eco-friendly and veggie-friendly contraceptive option. The only option I’ve found that is available in the United States (imported from Australia) are Glyde vegan latex condoms. They are vegan and cruelty-free. Unfortunately, they are not available in Des Moines, so most of us will have to special-order them online. Still I think the environmental impact from shipping is absorbed by supporting the most eco-friendly AND vegan-friendly option available.

 

Glyde Vegan Condoms

 

If you are not vegetarian/vegan, Trojan makes biodegradable lambskin condoms (aka lamb intestine). BUT it is really important to note that they do not protect against STDS. Sorry, non-vegan swingers. These are a no-no for you.

 

Abstinence: If you are really hardcore and want to give this a shot, go you. I wanted to provide other options for those of us assholes who value our trivial physical pleasures over the spiritual high that comes from saving the world. Jesus, I’m sorry.

 

Sterilization: Ok, so I had to include this option because I the more I read about sterilization, the more I support it. Extreme? Maybe…but if you don’t want kids, or if you want to adopt, or even if you only want a certain number of kids, this is about as eco-friendly and effective as contraception gets. As I am not seriously considering sterilization (yet), I do not know the health effects of the procedure, but I have read testimonials from women who opted to reduce their environmental impact by not bringing another human being into this world.

 

And ultimately, that’s the most important thing to remember. No matter what contraceptive method you choose, none have so great an impact on the earth as another mouth to feed.

sundrumlady

Dede Koswara: “The Tree Man Of Java”

Last night I was flipping through the channels and stopped on “My Shocking Story“, a show on TLC. This episode was entitled “Half Man, Half Tree”, and detailed the strange, tragic case of an Indonesian man named Dede Koswara. I think when they first showed Dede on-screen, I may have literally yelled “Oh my God!”.I think you can see why:

Apparently, Dede cut his knee when he was 15, at which point he started developing warts, which spread rapidly, leading to the extreme barklike growths you see here . Living in a poor village in Indonesia, Dede was unable to receive treatment and as such the warts continued their growth unabated, resulting in the condition seen above. Frustrated with his inability to work due to the disease, his wife of ten years left him, leaving him to support his two children by performing in a traveling freakshow.

An American dermatologist from the University of Maryland named Anthony Gaspari visited Dede in conjuction with this program, and after performing a biopsy and testing the results back at the university concluded that Dede suffers from a rare condition called epidermodysplasia verruciformis. The disease, caused by HPV, leads to the growth of macules and papules on the skin, especially on the hands and feet.

What made Dede’s condition literally one-of-a-kind is the fact that he also suffers from an immune deficiency virus (Dr. Gaspari initially thought that Dede may have had AIDS, a hypothesis that was eventually disproven), that allows for the rampant spreading of warts that had overtaken his extremities. At the end of the program, Dr. Gaspari seemed hopeful that with regular doses of Vitamin A to help boost his immune system, the extent of Dede’s growths could be lessened to the extent that removal would be a viable option. However, for some reason it seemed that Dede was reluctant to proceed with treatments and surgery, and continued to perform in the freakshow to support his family.

I was fascinated and saddened by Dede’s story, and tried to find out what had happened to him after the show was filmed. Happily, it looks as though he decided to take up treatment, and after several surgeries and regular treatment, he has regained the use of his hands and feet. Though Dede will have to recieve treatment for the rest of his life and will never have a normal body, he can now feed himself and support his family, and no longer has to perform in the freakshow.

I certainly hope that this post doesn’t come off as exploitative or demeaning in any way. Having suffered from a rare skin condition myself (dermatomyositis), I greatly sympathize with the plight of people like Dede. I’m certainly not trying to compare what I had to what Dede has suffered….any problems or difficulties I may have had are infintismal in relation. I was lucky to have had an expert living nearby who could diagnose and treat me; I was lucky to have parents who paid for incredibly expensive medical treatments; I was lucky to live in a place where such treatments were even an option and I was lucky, throughout the duration, to be able to feed, dress and generally take care of myself. Dede has not been so lucky. I think what really affects me is that if I were in Dede’s enviroment, with his resources, I could have been disfigured for life, crippled or very likely dead. An abnormal medical condition is a very traumatic thing to deal with, something I’ve only been able to admit to myself gradually over time. I commend Dr. Gaspari for helping Dede out, and especially Dede himself, for battling through this condition and for not giving up.

miloprometheus

Meat issues: 1) Environment 2) Humanitarian 3) Media Bias

From my perspective, the three most annoyingly preachy people in the world are Christians, Muslims and vegetarians.  The one thing that vegetarians have that the others don’t is a HUGE AMOUNT OF DATA, FACTS, and the support of the United Nations. 

WHY DO YOU DO ‘ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE’ THINGS AND STILL EAT MEAT?

Being evironmentally responsible is really trendy in a very superficial way in our country.  Lots of people recycle, lots of people are changing modes of transportation, lots of people are monitoring their energy use but very few are avoiding the #1 most environmentally damaging industry in the entire world: meat production.  Many environmental scientific watchdog groups, like Worldwatch Institute, have known this for years but the United Nations finally studied the issue 2 years ago and came to the same conclusion: the best thing you can do for the environment is to not eat meat.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20772&Cr=global&Cr1=environment

I love all the environmental issues related to domestic oil drilling, coming from people that probably eat meat.  The environmental hazards from drilling are absolutely miniscule compared to FACTS, according to the EPA, like: the meat industry pollutes more water in America than EVERY OTHER INDUSTRY COMBINED . . . or that cattle grazing causes 85% of all soil erosion in the United States.  In a few decades, when we’re having trouble growing domestic crops because of soil runoff, you can rest assured that it’s not at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico thanks to our beef diet.

The environmental ramifications are just gigantic.  Meat is the biggest contributor to global warming as it is the #1 biggest cause of deforestation.  It takes a lot of grain to feed all those KFC chickenz!

WHY DO YOU PRETEND TO CARE ABOUT POOR PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD AND STILL EAT MEAT?

This one is really simple and totally ignored.  There are hundreds of millions of starving people in the world, in spite of that we grow enough crops every year to feed the world many times over.  We raise enough crops to feed to COWS ALONE every year to feed the world’s human population.  But that’s just it, we’re wasting it unnecessarily on livestock.  It takes 16 lbs of grain and over 2000 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat.  Every time you eat meat you are wasting 15 potential meals that could have benefited someone somewhere else in the world.

WOW, THERE REALLY IS A MEDIA BIAS!

The fact that these facts are out there and have been endorsed by the United Nations but still receive VERY little coverage in our news media is nothing short of an abomination.  People like Al Gore are celebrated for their semi-scientific movies that naturally completely ignore the BIGGEST ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE.  The media loves to give green tips and almost never mentions anything related to meat or even diet. 

Even groups like Sierra Club that love hunting acknowledge the damage of meat production.  There is a LOT of information on these issues out there.  But don’t look for it in our degenerate, Obama-loving, status quo-adoring news media.

kicknz

New molecule kills kidney cancer cells

stanford researchers have discovered a molecule that kills kidney cancer cells! it’s called STF-62247, and it kills the cancer cells in people whose vhl genes aren’t working. (vhl genes are tumor suppressors, but don’t work in 75% of kidney tumor cells.) the other bonus to this STF-62247 is that, when killing cancer cells, it’s generally harmless to other cells, because these other cells carry a vhl gene that works. so this means that not only does this molecule have the potential to cure kidney cancer - a form of cancer whose only real treatment, currently, is removal of the affected kidney - but also has the potential to remove many of the side effects associated with other cancer treatments.

more info can be found in this article and this article. both from eurekalert.org

scientists have also identified a new anti-tumor drug.

scott

movie challenge 2005: chapter 2

find an explanation and chapter 1 RIGHT HERE.

May 3rd, 2005:

well… i’m sorry to disappoint, but after counting the horror movies, i realised that i would have to watch 8-10 movies a day in order to view them all by the end of may. so the new goal is the end of june, but i’m sure that some way through the friday the 13th series, or the halloween series, or the nightmare on elm street series, i’ll loose all will to see this through, and the goal will once again be changed, probably to the end of july or to never. we’ll see…

also, i’m ill. i’m afraid i might have strep, and that could cut into movie watching time. it’s hard to sit through movies when you’re all hopped up on target immitation brand nyquil.

28 Days Later:

great movie. everything about it is pretty great. i highly recommend it, but i’m sure everyone who reads this has already seen it. also, the ‘radical alternate ending’ was cool. i wish they had filmed it.

Anaconda:

the 1997 movie starring j-lo, ice cube, owen wilson, and john voight, among others. lame-o! john voight was cool, and owen wilson played a slightly different roll than he plays in all his other films. SLIGHTLY, i say, cuz he was still basically the same goofy character, he just didn’t get as goofy, and he was hardly in it. it’s about some film crew who is out to do a documentary about some tribe, then they meet this crazy dude who ends up leading them on a hunt for a giant snake. i guess this film’s main selling point was its ‘groundbreaking special effects’. ouch. the effects in this are horrible. the snake is less realistic than the skeleton warriors from army of darkness. and i have no idea why this shit was in the horror section, it should be in the action section, or the ’shitty movies’ section. what a waste of my time. i coulda been watching a shitty horror movie instead.

scott