Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Remind me not to wear the Calvin Klein cologne that attracts jaguars if I ever go to Guatemala

A jaguar looks from his cage at the Sofia city zoo.

Biologists tracking jaguars in the Guatemalan jungle might smell nice but it's all in the name of science, with researchers finding the Calvin Klein cologne Obsession for Men attracts big cats.

I enjoy irony in life, and the name of this cologne is certainly ironic when you think about it being used to attract jaguars.

The cologne is known for its complex scent, and is used to help lure the big cats for research and hopefully ultimately preserve jaguars in the Central American country.

Odd News For a Wednesday: Woman wants to be world's fattest!

Image: Donna Simpson

N.J. mother of two is striving to top 1,000 pounds

Donna Simpson weighs 600 pounds and hopes to gain another 400 to become the world's heaviest living woman.

View related photos

Marion Curtis / AP file

Stress of daily grind takes toll on teeth

Image: Michael Sinkin, Mark Naples

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Effects of job worries, freaky disasters seen in dentist's chair

PHOTO: Dr. Michael Sinkin, a Manhattan-based dentist, talks with bruxism patient Mark Naples about combating the effects of grinding his teeth.

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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Your new nightmare worms its way into view

A healthy, 25-year-old Christian minister went to an Alameda, Calif., emergency room in September 2008, complaining of something in his eye, reports a case study in this month’s issue of The Annals of Emergency Medicine.

An eyelash, maybe? A pesky speck of dust, perhaps? Or, ew, maybe a stray contact lens had wedged its way somewhere in there?

It’s just so much worse. Israel Orellana’s discomfort was caused by something called an African eye worm. That’s a worm. In his EYEBALL.

Guest Opinion: Kucinich Calls for the End of America’s Longest War

Why aren’t more Congressman pushing to end the war? Is Kucinich the only one with the guts to speak out against the insanity of staying there? It sure looks that way.

If we really want to get on the road to economic recovery then ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the first things to do. The billions going over there would be better used here at home where Americans could use the help now.

Today, the War in Afghanistan is officially the longest war Americans have ever been asked to endure. In observance, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today released the following statement:


“The War in Afghanistan has now surpassed the number of years we spent in Vietnam, making it the longest war in U.S. history.

This grim landmark must serve as an awakening for the human and financial costs of the war. Our continued presence in Afghanistan foments resentment toward us, undermines the human rights of the Afghan people, and places our troops in harm’s way.

Prior to the Memorial Day break, the House passed a bill authorizing $159.3 billion for the continuation of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the so-called “war on terror” with little-to-no discussion of the cost our constituents must bear to keep the wars going.

The war is creating a new generation of Americans who will experience the trauma of war, like Vietnam veterans before them. Billions of dollars go toward our supposed nation-building in Afghanistan. Yet millions of Americans struggle as funds for essential social services get cut.


The greatest casualties of this long war are the children of the world for whom war becomes as ordinary as the sunrise. Children, who go to bed hungry each night, who are denied the fullness of health, who are ill-housed, ill-clothed, who do not have a chance for a decent education, whose opportunities in life are limited because the resources of nations are squandered in unnecessary wars based on lies.

What a terrible legacy this generation of leaders will leave for the children of the world unless we finally come to an understanding of the utter futility f war, unless we challenge the underlying thinking that leads to war, unless we firmly explore the science of human relations which leads away from war and towards understanding and human unity. This is the surge the world is waiting for.

In the coming weeks, Congress is expected to be asked to give another $33 billion for war efforts. Congress must stop funding this misguided war. We need to bring the troops home now.” said Kucinich.

Great Escape veteran Harrison dies at 97

Image: Jack Harrison, at right

He was 98th on the list of 200 inmates set to escape, but only 76 got away

PHOTO: Jack Harrison, at right, the veteran thought to be the last survivor of the World War II prisoner-of-war breakout from Stalag Luft III, is seen with other prisoners-of-war in this undated file photo.

As human jobs dry up robots continue to eliminate future work possibilities

Image: Robonaut 2

Advances — especially in safety — have their use on the rise

Technology is fine, up to a point. But despite what employers say about robots not totally taking over automated work and getting rid of humans…it’s happening. The future for human workers in manufacturing is bleak.

It’s advances like this new robot that will guarantee less work for humans. I wonder how this economy is ever going to recover when jobs are being automated?

Photo: Developed for the International Space Station, the Robonaut 2 300-pound prototype consists of a head and torso with two arms and two hands. GM plans to adapt the technology for use in future vehicles and in manufacturing plants.

Monday, June 7, 2010

What to do? Clean the birds, or kill them?

Oil spill

A biologist in Germany has stirred up a fuss with comments suggesting it makes more sense to kill heavily oiled birds from the Gulf of Mexico oil-spill disaster than to clean them.

Patients Challenge Tehama County Anti-Cultivation Ordinance

imagesCAODXNMA

RED BLUFF- In a lawsuit  supported by California NORML, Tehama County patients  filed suit  on June 4th against a county ordinance that limits their right to grow marijuana at home.

  
The lawsuit, by the law firm of Edie Lerman and J David Nick of Ukiah,  asks for a writ of mandate to strike down the Tehama ordinance.
The plaintiffs  claim that the ordinance makes it impossible for them to legally exercise their Proposition 215 right to cultivate medical marijuana for themselves.


The Tehama ordinance declares it a public  nuisance  to grow marijuana anywhere within 1,000 feet of  a school, school bus stop, church, park, or youth-oriented facility;  restricts gardens  to no more than 12 mature or 24 total plants on  parcels of 20 acres or less; requires outdoor gardens to be  surrounded by an opaque fence at least six feet high and located 100  feet or more from the property boundaries; and requires every patient garden to be registered with the county health services agency for a fee to be determined.

 
"The ordinance is an affront to property rights as well as patients' rights," declares Jason Browne, one of the Tehama plaintiffs.  "The patient community has attempted for months to work with the county. They have snubbed us at every turn. We had no alternative but to sue."

California NORML attorneys argue that local governments cannot legally declare activities that are protected by state law to be nuisances.

"They can't take everyone's rights away," says attorney Edie Lerman.   California law states patients can have whatever they need for themselves and for collectives." Lerman warns patients to expect a long battle, as the case is likely to go to the appellate level.


Tehama's  is the most restrictive of a number of  anti-cultivation measures that have recently been proposed by local  officials  hostile to medical marijuana. In another lawsuit filed by Lerman and Nick, Mendocino County patients are challenging an ordinance that limits patient cultivation to 25 plants per parcel, regardless of the number of patients.

The ordinance was recently amended to let collectives apply for licenses for larger gardens of up to 99 plants under certain conditions.

"The right to cultivate is fundamental  to Prop. 215's mandate that 'seriously ill  Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical purposes,'" says California NORML Director Dale Gieringer, a co-author of Prop. 215.

CONTACTS: Dale Gieringer (415) 563-5858;  Edie Lerman (707) 937-1711

Signs of the Apocalypse #13 : Elton John sings at Limbaugh’s wedding!

Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh had an unexpected wedding singer when he said "I do" for the fourth time yesterday to Kathryn Rogers at the Breakers hotel in Palm Beach: gay rights advocate Elton John, according to a wire report from the FOX-owned News Corporation.

The $1 million the Rocket Man reportedly took home for his trouble, however, may have smoothed over any conflicts of interest for the time being as Rush is homophobic. One million dollars has a way of loosening convictions.

Photo source

What Would You Do If Trump Was Re-Elected?

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