"Grrrrr.......... Go on. Just try me."Funny Animal Photos
Corneal Transplants Under Scrutiny
Corneal transplants (grafts) are assumed to be very successful, but until now the procedure has not been fully examined. A survey of nearly five thousand patients, 4499 to be precise, was done. After a year 92 per cent of transplants were deemed to be successful. An astonishing 1,395 patients had failed results after seven years.
Plain rejection was the major detrimental cause in a third of failed operations. Infection impacted on 18 per cent, with glaucoma affecting 9 per cent. A worrying point is that 10 per cent of recipients did not have any improvement in vision and only a fifth of these experienced rejection. Indeed, some had poorer vision.
It seems too much time is spent on lessening rejection and not enough time is targeted at improving overall patient outcomes. Having to do the operation again is a real tragedy for a patient. He/she would not be in a positive frame of mind after a failure the first time.
Health
Japan Steps into Space
Let us wish the Japanese well in their bid to explore space. The US has had great success with their missions. It seems odd why Japan would spend money on space exploration when the economy is in such bad shape. Nonetheless, all people in the world benefit from new knowledge,
After success with its first attempt to retrieve samples from the Itokowa space rock, the second spacecraft Hayabusa2 will be launched in 2014 and closely examine asteroid 1999 JU3. The rendezvous will take place in 2018. Valuable samples will be brought back to Earth in 2020.
Japan is doing the work with assistance from other nations. The probe will be tracked by NASA's Deep Space Network. Like the first project the spacecraft will land in Australia. Powered by ion engines the craft will make a small crater in 1999 JU3. In the past this asteroid may have come into contact with water.
A German made lander called MASCOT will move over the rock's surface. Intense examination will hopefully bring to light new understanding about asteroids. The search for life elsewhere in the cosmos is still paramount.
Space
Australians Celebrate Thongs
Australians will always turn out when there is something odd going on. Thousands of people flocked to Bondi Beach for Australia Day but it was not just to celebrate the day off. They went because of the importance of thongs in there lives - no, not the ones worn around the waist, those worn on the feet!
A crowd of 500 beach goers grabbed giant inflatable thongs and took to the water in an attempt to break the world record set in 2006. The record was safe, however, well short of the the 863 target. At least everyone had a good time.
Australia day is when you celebrate things Australian and thongs are very popular here. In summertime some people wear nothing but thongs, all the time. They even go shopping in them. They are especially good for a day of fishing at the beach when you can "fling" them off and head into the water, then come back and put them back on again with your hands free.
A crowd of 500 beach goers grabbed giant inflatable thongs and took to the water in an attempt to break the world record set in 2006. The record was safe, however, well short of the the 863 target. At least everyone had a good time.
Australia day is when you celebrate things Australian and thongs are very popular here. In summertime some people wear nothing but thongs, all the time. They even go shopping in them. They are especially good for a day of fishing at the beach when you can "fling" them off and head into the water, then come back and put them back on again with your hands free.
Society
The Demise of Species Will Have to be Prioritized
Not much can be done about saving endangered species when the great majority of people "don't give a damn". Like global warming many just do not want to hear the truth. Money is not forthcoming for conservation. Stopping animals from going extinct is only being done on a piecemeal basis. We have to choose what to save.
This really means that the blame for the loss of some animals lies solely with Mankind. Just who is to decide the fate of creatures is not yet known. It will have to be bodies that receive funding for such purposes. They are probably doing the selection process as we speak. If what is to be saved and what is to be lost was publicly known there would probably be an outcry - everyone has their favorites.
More funding is the answer of course. Whether times be good or bad giving money for conservation has never been popular. Other things seem more important. It is really inevitable that prioritizing what goes extinct will occur. The global warming issue shows that people only care about their present welfare. Environmental damage continues.
Conservation
Dieting After Christmas
Many people have a guilt complex about Christmas. It is a time to eat to excess. Overeaters plan to suffer later to rip away the pounds gained by Christmas. Unfortunately, future suffering from fasting and exercise won't work. Perhaps people do it to reduce the guilt while knowing that weight reduction will only be temporary.
Detox diets are really myths. They can harm your body damaging the liver. Eating a lot doesn't necessarily build up toxins anyway. One's weight is genetically determined. If you reduce what you generally eat your body will slow the metabolism making weight loss more difficult. Ironically, eating less will increase your appetite as the body feels you need to go up to your determined weight level.
The best you can hope for is to change the balance of fat and muscle while accepting that your overall weight will not change. Cut out the carbs and eat more vegetables, fruit and lean meat. The real problem today is not really food intake. It is the high consumption of soft drinks packed with sugar. Sugar is pure carbohydrate which is transformed into fat by the body. While many will not accept the fact, consuming soft drinks seems to be addictive.
Society
Elephants Play Football
Not only humans enjoy a game of soccer. Elephants have a good time playing it too. Despite their size they are very fast and agile.
The fifth annual Chitwan festival in Nepal organized a soccer match for elephants in the region. Competition was rough with masters and elephants playing hard. The Wai Wai noodles team won the event. They dominated the final against the Hotel Association winning 3-0.
Riders sit on the backs of elephants while the animals really kick the ball around. An international elephant race has been included to bring more people (and elephants) to the festival.
The fifth annual Chitwan festival in Nepal organized a soccer match for elephants in the region. Competition was rough with masters and elephants playing hard. The Wai Wai noodles team won the event. They dominated the final against the Hotel Association winning 3-0.
Riders sit on the backs of elephants while the animals really kick the ball around. An international elephant race has been included to bring more people (and elephants) to the festival.
Sport
Northern Territory Mammals Endangered
The Northern Territory has a low population density, so it could expected that natural fauna would remain dominant over human destruction of the environment. Apparently, this is not the case. A study observed Aboriginal elders and their interaction with wildlife. Comparing findings with previous records showed a decline in the mammal population.
Only small numbers of quoll, black-footed rat and golden bandicoot survive. Nearly 50 new animals have been included in the endangered list this year. Two mammals and a bird have now been declared extinct. Small and medium size animals are affected most. Large animals are unaffected. It seems large animals such as kangaroos benefit from the presence of humans.
Planned action is proving beneficial. Improved fire control has raised the number of gouldian finches. Reptiles are doing well. Specimens of the bronzeback lizard have been found. They were thought to be extinct in the Northern Territory.
Damage has been done by the influx of animals foreign to Australia such as cats, foxes and cane toads. Farming is thought to have less impact. A major problem is that fewer fires occur in some areas. Aboriginals did practise traditional patch burning. This was good for native flora and fauna. Aboriginals should be encouraged to go back to the old ways before the skills are lost.
Environment
New Mustering System to Revolutionize Farming
Cattle mustering has always been a manual labor enterprise. Little has changed for centuries. Some minor improvements have occurred but the new Remote Livestock Management System (RLMS) developed by Precision Pastoral Pty Ltd is a leap forward to more efficiency.
Computer Hardware and software are combined in a practical control method. All animals have to drink. When Cattle drink at a watering point they are guided through a pathway that identifies, weighs and drafts animals into particular holding pens. Those who are not ready for market are automatically released back into the paddock. The system is solar powered so there are virtually no running costs. Cattle tags are easily read.
Growth rates, calving and fertility are all monitored. Feed supplements can also be effectively regulated. This will improve profitability for farmers. They have been waiting a long time for something like this. Degradation in rangeland can be solved by relocation into new pastures via the gates.
The new computer mustering system is seen as a revolution in cattle and sheep production. There are strong prospects for its adoption in north and south America, Asia and Africa.
Agriculture
Australians Are the Most Sinful on Earth - According to the Brits
Trust the Brits to judge the world - they invented the hoity-toity foppish English accent that meant people who spoke that way were superior to the rest of us. Acting "posh" doesn't mean you are better! A BBC magazine says that Australians are the most sinful on earth. Yeah, we have heard it all before every since the day we first won a cricket match against them. According to them we envy everybody else. What rubbish! We couldn't give a damn about anyone else. Live life to the full that is our motto. If you don't like it live somewhere else.
They have lampooned other countries as well though. Americans are gluttonous and greedy. South Africans are angry with everyone. Japanese and Koreans lust after everything.
The magazine attached values to things we do, for example, plastic surgery (pride), violent crime (wrath), theft (envy), holidays (sloth), food (gluttony), salary (greed) and porn (lust).
Australians are busy little creatures. Apparently we do all of these. Think what everyone else is missing out on! We always thought the Brits were envious of us. Now we know why. Start a barbecue, open the beer, and Aussies will be there. Of course we like to indulge. That is what life is about.
You see the real problem in the world is actually, well, the Brits. They stick their noses into other people's business - without being asked. Do Australians hate the Brits? We do have a tall poppy syndrome where those at the top are knocked off.
They have lampooned other countries as well though. Americans are gluttonous and greedy. South Africans are angry with everyone. Japanese and Koreans lust after everything.
The magazine attached values to things we do, for example, plastic surgery (pride), violent crime (wrath), theft (envy), holidays (sloth), food (gluttony), salary (greed) and porn (lust).
Australians are busy little creatures. Apparently we do all of these. Think what everyone else is missing out on! We always thought the Brits were envious of us. Now we know why. Start a barbecue, open the beer, and Aussies will be there. Of course we like to indulge. That is what life is about.
You see the real problem in the world is actually, well, the Brits. They stick their noses into other people's business - without being asked. Do Australians hate the Brits? We do have a tall poppy syndrome where those at the top are knocked off.
Society
More Expensive Eggs - "End" of Battery Hens
Coles and Woolworths promise no support for battery chickens and pork grown in like manner. They say they will only purchase from "green" suppliers. Is this being good citizens on their part? Well frankly, it is not. Controlling 80 per cent of the market they have the power to force low prices on more expensive production.
We will see small operations go to the wall and a future oligopoly forming. When this is finalized, like in the paint market, buyers will have to pay the price offered by the few gigantic producers. For example, Bunnings has to take prices of the few paint manufacturers. Furthermore, there is nothing to stop backyard battery operations selling at weekend markets.
Legislated changes have unintended consequences. The result will be more expensive eggs. This has to be the case. Higher costs mean higher prices overall. This is economic fact. Get ready to see cardboard signs nailed to front fences of houses selling "home grown" eggs.
Society
Life Began on Land
Life may have begun on land not in the sea, Multicellular fossils, ancestors of marine life, lived on land. These were microbial colonies like lichen. Ediacaron fossils over 600 million years old have been found in South Australia.
High-tech investigative technology showed the ancient forebears lived on land. The soil they were in had "old elephant skin' over it. This phenomenon forms in sandstone beds. It is much like the surface of modern sandy deserts with close wavy lines.
Ediacaran fossils were direct ancestors of marine animals, not mammals. The chain of life leading to humans came during the Cambrian era long after these old multicellular fossils. Apparently, the presence of salt and even too much water are barriers to initial life formation. There was more animals diversity on land than in the sea during the Cambrian.
Evolution
After Years of Incubation - Sleeping Sickness
A Frenchman was taken by rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo and tortured. He escaped and a few years later emigrated to Canada with his wife and children. He began hearing voices and became paranoid fearing someone was trying to kill him.
Post traumatic stress disorder was diagnosed by a doctor. Antidepressants did not work. He got headaches and pain in his back. He deteriorated lost his appetite, became weak and dizzy, and contemplated suicide.
X-rays showed enlarged lymph nodes. An MRI indicated abnormality in the brain. A spinal tap found a very high white blood cell count and most importantly, eel-like protozoa - trypanosomes. After years of incubation, the man had developed sleeping sickness.
This disease is endemic in Africa. It is contracted by being bitten by the tsetse fly which carries the trypanosomiasis protozoa. Death occurs with extreme exhaustion. It can have a myriad of conflicting symptoms. Treatment by a few drugs is possible but also dangerous. The usual outcome is death from the disease or from the treatment.
Health
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