FitSugar

Oral Sex, a Knife Fight and Then Sperm Still Impregnated Girl

bluesarahlou — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:56:23 -0800

So I saw this story on Tres the other day and it made me want to read the full story, not a wierdly written synopsis. Kind of long, but pretty interesting!

A strange tale of oral sex, a knife fight and the most unlikely of pregnancies recently brought to light by the blogosphere has doctors touting the triumphant persistence of sperm.

In 1988, a 15-year-old girl living in the small southern African nation of Lesotho came to local doctors with all the symptoms of a woman in labor. But the doctors were quickly puzzled because, upon examination, she didn't have a vagina.

"Inspection of the vulva showed no vagina, only a shallow skin dimple," so doctors delivered a healthy baby boy via Caesarean, the authors wrote in a case report published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Her birth defect -- called Mullerian agenesis or Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome -- didn't necessarily surprise doctors, but her pregnancy did. Even the 15-year-old girl could not believe she was pregnant.

Yet by looking at her records the hospital staff realized the young woman was in the hospital 278 days earlier with a knife wound to her stomach. The average pregnancy lasts 280 days. After interviews, they gathered that "Just before she was stabbed in the abdomen she had practiced fellatio with her new boyfriend and was caught in the act by her former lover. The fight with knives ensued."

The girl arrived at the hospital with an empty stomach -- and therefore with little stomach acid around -- and doctors found two holes from a stab wound that opened her stomach up to her abdominal cavity. The case report said doctors washed her stomach out with a salt solution and stitched her up.

"A plausible explanation for this pregnancy is that spermatozoa gained access to the reproductive organs via the injured gastrointestinal tract," the authors wrote.

Infertility experts note the story, which resurfaced on a Discovery magazine blog, is not only a testament to Murphy's Law but one to arguably nature's most impressive swimmers: sperm.

How Could Sperm Survive Those Conditions?

"Here's an unbelievable set of coincidences," said Dr. Richard Paulson, head of the University of Southern California Fertility Program in Los Angeles. "But it's totally plausible."

Although doctors know that sperm needs a low acid (high pH) environment to survive, and would likely die eventually in the low pH of stomach acid, doctors also said that sperm comes in a protective fluid: ejaculate, a nourishing medium meant to protect the sperm.

Besides, "out of hundreds of millions of sperm if you knock out 90 percent of them, you're still going to have tens of millions of sperm," said Dr. Peter Schlegel, chairman of urology at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York.

Paulson agreed.

"Sperm are pretty hardy," said Paulson, who pointed out that sperm must make it out of the acidic environment of the vagina before reaching more friendly territory at the cervix and in the uterus. Once in the abdominal wall, Paulson estimated that the sperm could survive for days.

"It's a long way from the stomach into the lower abdomen, it's a heck of a trip, but they made it," said Paulson. "You just need sperm somewhere in the area of an egg."

Paulson said in the early days of fertility treatments in the 1980s, doctors injected sperm in the lower abdomen hoping for the coincidental encounter with an egg. The procedure, called DIPI or direct intraperitoneal insemination, has largely been replaced by more effective methods.

The Lengths Sperm Can Travel

Schlegel pointed out that although fertilization typically takes place in the fallopian tubes, doctors know that sperm can normally swim up and out of the reproductive organs into the abdominal cavity.

"The sperm are naturally there at times, and eggs are naturally there," said Schlegel. "Eggs are released from the ovary, and they sort of dance around before they get taken up by the fallopian tube."

Sperm Can Swim Far in the Female Body

So it seems, Schlegel concluded, that the sperm could also be taken up by the fallopian tube, as could a fertilized egg.

But some doctors are still suspicious of, or at least bewildered by the tale. The girl's birth defect is well known and by age 15, doctors say most girls would have been doubling over in pain with an abdomen filled with menstrual fluid that cannot escape.

The menstrual fluid of several periods would make it even more unlikely for a pregnancy to occur.

"She'd have pain all the time and would have a stomach full of blood all the time, and would have to be operated on, or she would eventually die," said Dr. Sherman J. Silber, director of the infertility center of Saint Louis at St. Luke's Hospital in Missouri.

Dr. Howard A. Zacur, a reproductive endocrinologist at Johns Hopkins, also had doubts. "The case report here suffers from the fact that an individual with a completely obstructed vaginal outlet would have been expected to have blood accumulation in the vagina, and/or uterus," he wrote in an e-mail.

The authors of the report guessed a pregnancy could only be possible if the girl had ovulated once or at most twice before her pregnancy.

Whatever the true story of the woman, and her now grown son, Silber said it could send a message to ordinary couples planning pregnancy.

Why Doubt the Longevity of Sperm?

"This story is a crazy story, and there's no way to make sense of it," said Silber. "But the data on sperm is that normally it's quite good in an alkaline environment for two or three days -- that's why the average couple wastes a lot of energy when they're trying to get pregnant."

Silber said he sees many couples who buy into the idea that they should time sex to coincide with the woman's ovulation. But Silber said the remarkable survivability of sperm means most couples don't have to change their normal sex lives at all.

"The average American married couple tends to have sex two or three days a week," said Silber, author of "How to Get Pregnant."

If sperm can survive for two or three days, that means the average sex life of an American married couple results in living sperm swimming around the woman's body every single day of the week.

"The practice to check when you ovulate and not to have sex until you're ovulating is stupid," Silber said.

Silber said because ovulation calendars and methods to detect ovulation are somewhat inaccurate, couples could miss ovulation and have sex too late.

"Twelve hours after ovulation, the eggs aren't good any more. You want to have the sperm there ready and waiting for when you ovulated," said Silber. "It's absolutely true that sperm can last a long time."

Source

Body Scanner = Naked Movie Star Pictures; That Didn't Take Long

stephley — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 10:05:47 -0800

We're not the type to say "I told you so." Alright maybe we are. In this case we just couldn't help ourselves.

Since December, we've been expressing skepticism about the deployment of whole body imaging at airports. We call them virtual strip searches because we think the graphic images they create of people are incredibly invasive. We've even noted that images of famous people are likely to be particularly prized.

Well the future is now. Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan recently disclosed that he received a whole body scan at the airport. But contrary to the stated policy of the British government, this image was not immediately discarded.

Instead, airline personnel apparently printed it out.

In Khan's own words:

'I was in London recently going through the airport and these new machines have come up, the body scans. You've got to see them. It makes you embarrassed - if you're not well endowed.

'You walk into the machine and everything - the whole outline of your body - comes out.'

[...]'Then I saw these girls - they had these printouts. I looked at them. I thought they were some forms you had to fill. I said 'give them to me' - and you could see everything inside. So I autographed them for them.'
We admire Khan's ability to make the best of a bad situation - recall his experience at Newark last year - but we doubt he is too happy about the government allowing perfect strangers to take and keep naked images of his body. All of this points to the need for laws that ban the copying and other misuse of these images as well as a legal right to recover damages if they are.

Now we just hope that our raising the issue of body cavity searches doesn't prove to be equally accurate.

http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security-technology-and-liberty/body-s...

Muslim Butt Bomber

samantha999 — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:34:06 -0700

Qaeda 'ass'assin
'Butt bomb' tactic spooks anal-ysts

By GEOFF EARLE Post Correspondent

Last Updated: 9:44 AM, September 30, 2009
Posted: 3:34 AM, September 30, 2009

WASHINGTON -- There's a new al Qaeda terror technique that has American security experts pooping in their pants -- call it the "butt bomb."

A suicide bomber recently put himself next to a member of the Saudi royal family, having outwitted bomb-detection machines in the palace, to set off an explosion using a charge that had been hidden in his rectum.

The ass-assin, Abdullah Asieri, stashed a pound of explosives and a detonator inside his body in the attack on Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, head of counterterrorism for the kingdom, the Arab TV network Al Arabiya reported.

Bin Nayef was only slightly wounded in the attempt. The explosion, possibly detonated by a cellphone, killed the bomber.

The technique has astonished security experts, who warn that the United States isn't equipped to prevent the gross new form of terrorism -- and worry such bombers could make it aboard aircraft and blow themselves up mid-flight.

"Standard airport security is not going to detect that," said terror expert Steve Emerson. "You need a much more intrusive type of X-ray machine that can actually see inside body cavities."

In fact, many machines were calibrated to have less penetrating effects after protests that they allowed airport screeners to see images of people naked.

"They may have to calibrate it differently now to look at certain densities," said Emerson.

"It should definitely cause re-examination" of security tactics, Emerson added. "Because I've never seen that before. I've never heard of that before. The terrorists are always one step ahead of the counter-terrorists."

The Transportation Security Administration had no comment.

Initial reports by the Saudi Press Agency indicated that the bomber was carrying the explosives, but only later were the bomber's smuggling techniques revealed.

The tactic is similar to one drug smugglers have used for years -- getting "mules" to smuggle valuable cocaine and other drugs inside their bodies to dodge airport security.

The bomber was able to get himself in close proximity to Prince Bin Nayef by calling up and saying he wanted to turn himself in.

The bomber was searched several times before he got inside the prince's office in Jeddah, including going through metal detectors, according to reports.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/qaeda_ass_assin_hKiF3TDJkgYIt...

GRUESOME END: "Butt bomber" Abdullah Asieri (above) packed a pound of explosives up his rectum in a bid to kill Saudi Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef. The assassin killed only himself .

ICU (Invisible Chronic Illness) Finally Finished.

Monique Marie — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:09:16 -0700

ICU (Invisible Chronic Illness)
1. Arthritis

What is it? Arthritis refers to more than 100 different conditions that cause fatigue, inflammation, swelling, stiffness, and pain particularly in the joints. Included in the list of arthritis related conditions are lupus, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, scleroderma, Sjogren’s syndrome, Reiter’s syndrome, and gout. The two most known forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. For many people osteoarthritis is part of the aging process: the gradual wear and tear on joints, especially the hips, knees, and spine. Osteoarthritis causes a breakdown of joint cartilage resulting in pain and loss of movement in the affected joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease and is less common than osteoarthritis. It usually causes damage symmetrically –ex., in both knees. A systemic disease, rheumatoid arthritis may involve other parts of the body.

Who gets it? Arthritis affects about 90 million Americans. People of all ages are affected by arthritis. Nearly 75 percent of the people who have osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are women. In general, rheumatoid arthritis starts between ages twenty and forty-five, while osteoarthritis primarily affects people after the age of sixty-five. Juvenile arthritis typically occurs in children between ages two and five and afflicts girls far more often than boys.

2. Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

What is it? Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (also known as hereditary motorsensory neuropathy and peroneal muscular atrophy) is a hereditary disorder of the peripheral nervous system. Slow degeneration of the nerves cause impairment of normal use of legs, arms, and hands. The result of nerve degeneration is muscle wasting. Sensory perception is affected, making it difficult to feel hot and cold in the body’s extremities. Fine movement of the hands, such as in writing, becomes increasingly difficult for some people. A high arched foot is one of the first signs of the presence of CMT. Symptoms include the arched food, diminished sense of touch, pes cavus foot (foot drop and hammer toes), and in some cases chronic pain and fatigue. CMT is classified as Type I or Type II. In general, the two types are similar in presentation: they differ in nerve conduction velocities (speed with which messages are communicated in the peripheral nervous system). The severity of illness varies widely, even within the same family, although men tend to suffer more severe disability than women. People with CMT typically have a normal life span.

Who gets it? Men, women, and children are afflicted with CMT. It is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. In other words, there is a 50 percent chance that the illness will be passed on if one parent has the disease. Carrying the CMT trait does not predictably lead to the onset of symptoms. 125,000 people in the US are diagnosed with CMT.

3. Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS)

What is it? Chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome (CDIFS) is also referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), chronic infectious mononucleosis, myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) in England, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. It has been derogatorily called “yuppie flu”. Research suggests that CFIDS is an immune dysfunction disorder triggered by a viral illness. The outstanding symptom of CFIDS is chronic fatigue. Fatigue, however, is only one of a complex constellation of symptoms, which include swollen and painful lymph glands, sleep disturbances, headaches, cognitive impairment (memory loss, confusion, decrease in ability to concentrate), and low grade fever. Symptoms come and go; they may velar up in six months or persist for years. CFIDS does not result in death. In some instances people with CFIDS spontaneously recover. The Centers of Disease Control have produced a provisional “working case definition” of CFIDS to guide physicians in the diagnosis of this illness. As of yet, there is no conclusive evidence of a specific cause of CFIDS, there is no lab test to identify the marker of CFIDS in the body.

Who gets it? Women are more typically affected by CFIDS than men, though both sexes are susceptible to the illness. People tend to contract the illness between the ages of twenty and forty.

4. Endometriosis (ENDO)

What is it? Endometriosis is a disease that involves endometrium, the tissue that lines the uterus. Normally this tissue builds up only in the uterus and is shed each month during menstruation. In women who have endometriosis, the endometrium also implants itself outside the uterus. The abnormal growths of endometrium can be found almost anywhere in the body but are typically found in the fallopian tubes, ovaries, bowel, bladder, and outer surface of the uterus. Not as usual are growths outside the abdominal cavity, such as in the rectum, external glands, lungs, arms, legs, and thighs. During the menstrual cycle, as the endometrium increases in the uterine cavity, the ectopic growths also build up outside the uterus. While the endometrium lining is eliminated from the uterus, these growths have no way of shedding the blood. The result is inflammation of the surrounding tissue and scar formation. If the growths are large, they can rupture or cause blockage in the bladder and bowel. As with the other ICI’s, the symptoms of endometriosis vary in kind and intensity from woman to woman. The symptoms include painful menstruation, painful intercourse, chronic pain (in the back, legs, gastrointestinal tract, and urinary tract), heavy and irregular bleeding, chronic fatigue, and infertility. The cause of endometriosis is unknown. A number of theories proposed and under investigation include a genetic predisposition for the disease and the possibility that remains from the embryonic stage develop later into adulthood into endometrium. The most widely held theory as to the cause of the illness is retrograde flow, that is, endometrial tissue that is shed through the fallopian tubes and deposited into the pelvis. This theory, however, does not explain the mechanism of endometriosis fully, since women with retrograde flow do not develop endometriosis. Some research suggests that a dysfunction of the immune system may be involved in endometriosis. Endometriosis is a benign disease. It can not be cured but it can be clearly diagnosed with tests, and there are treatments that can relieve the intensity of symptoms. Ignorance in the general and medical population is an additional battle that women who suffer with endometriosis must confront. The suspicion that the disease is psychosomatic is lessening, but slowly.

Who gets it? Effects about five million American women during their reproductive years.

5. Fibromyalgia (FM)

What is it? Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal condition that is sometimes referred to as fibrositis, myofibrositis, fibromyositis, and myofascial pain syndrome. It is characterized by the presence of diffuse and persistent pain and chronic fatigue. Sleep disturbance is another common symptom. Sleep disorders that affect people with fibromyalgia are myoclonus (spasms in legs and arms at night), alpha-delta sleep disruption (delta sleep disrupted by alpha waves), and nonrestorative sleep (waking after sleep with stiffness and soreness). Less common symptoms are frequent headaches, dry eyes, hair loss, sun sensitivity, and irritable bowel syndrome. Symptoms tend to fluctuate and do not necessarily occur simultaneously. They may appear slowly or attack suddenly. Although fibromyalgia may have been a condition plaguing mandkind forever, it has only recently been given serious attention by the medical and research communities. Research in the 1980’s and 1990’s proliferated and suggested a basis for diagnosis. Fibromyalgia may be identified when patient’s reports a history of pain over an extended period of time in eleven out of eighteen specific tender points. Tender points are zones of the body that when pressed are excruciating painful. For many people with fibromyalgia, sleep is not restful. The symptoms of fibromyalgia are so similar to those of chronic fatigue syndrome that some researchers believe that they “are different strains of the same disorder”. They do differ, however, in that “CFS patients have grater fatigue while FM patients have greater pain.” There are no cured for fibromyalgia, but some symptoms can be treated. The cause of fibromyalgia, as with all ICIs, is unknown. Some areas of possible causes that are being investigated are central nervous system abnormalities, viral triggers of FM such as human T-cell lymphotropic virus, head and neck trauma, bacterial infections, low level amino acids, metabolic disturbances, and traumatic events.

Who gets it? Primarily women suffer with fibromyalgia. It may be that more women then men are diagnosed with fibromyalgia because women, in general, tend to seek medical attention more often then men. There may be, however, a link between fibromyalgia and hormones, since there appears to be an increase in flare ups of symptoms before menstruation. This however, does not explain the symptoms in men and children.

6. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

What is it? Human immunodeficiency virus is the most widely accepted cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). When a person is infected with HIV, the potential for AIDS and AIDS related complex (ARC) is ever present. I am primarily focusing on the HIV stage of AIDS since that condition is characterized by the invisible chronic illness factors. First of all, it is not possible to detect from casual observation that a person has HIV. Someone with HIV generally appear healthy. People with HIV face the inevitable progression of the illness and development of AIDS, but the illness develops in different patterns and the nature and severity of the symptoms are different for each person. Symptoms that may occur in the early stages of infection include fever, fatigue, render and swollen lymph glands, and headaches. Often these symptoms temporarily recede. When the disease becomes more active, new symptoms occur, such as chronic diarrhea, chronic fatigue, weight loss, cognitive changes, skin disease, night sweats, lymphoma, and ear-nose-throat problems. HIV sufferers can experience years of exacerbations and remissions of these symptoms. Early recognition is vital for treatment and relief of symptoms and to assure longer survival. Opportunistic infections (infections that the healthy immune system routinely wards off) eventually weaken the immune system, allowing the onset of AIDS.

Who gets is? The early cases of diagnosed AIDS in the US were found in 1981 in LA and New York. During the early and middle 1980s AIDS was particularly found in the homosexual, Haitian, and hemophiliac population. Since that time, AIDS have been discovered in the heterosexual population, particularly among intravenous drug users and their sex partners. Men, women, and children are vulnerable to HIV infection. No race appears to be exempt.

7. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

What it is. Included in the inflammatory bowel disease category are two disease, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, also referred to as ileitis and regional enteritis, is an inflammatory disease that causes thickening of tissue in the small intestine and colon. The thickening can cause obstruction in these organs. Fistulae are formed when the inflammation spreads to the bladder and other parts of the bowel. Ulcerative colitis attacks the colon (the last section of the large intestine) and the rectum. Onset of colitis is marked by soft and loose stools (more so than usual) mixed with blood and a pressing sensation that signals an intense need to defecate. Symptoms common to inflammatory bowel disease are diarrhea, loss of appetite, weight loss, abdominal pain, and rectal bleeding. Severe cases of these two diseases can cause systemic symptoms; in other words, other systems of the body are affected, such as the liver, skin, joints, and eyes. Inflammatory bowel diseases are characterized by ICI conditions. Authors of The Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Fact Book, “The diseases are chronic and as yet their cause-is therefore their cure-are unknown. Some people have mild symptoms while others have severe and disabling ones.” In either case, symptoms exacerbate and remit. Treatment and surgery can alleviate the intensity of symptoms. Some causative agents being investigated are intestinal bacteria, virus, and dysfunction of the immune system, yet no single lab test identifies the disease.

Who gets it? 500,000 people in the US have been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. Estimated that include people who suffer with the illness but have not been diagnosed may go as high as two million. Males and females are vulnerable to Crohn’s disease and colitis. Onset generally begins between the ages of twelve and the late twenties; a less frequent age onset is after the age of fifty. IBDs appear predominantly in developed countries.

8. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

What is it? Irritable bowel syndrome (erroneously called spastic colon) is the common cold of the intestinal tract. Elaine Shimberg, author of Relief from IBS, estimates that twenty-two million Americans suffer with IBS. Common as it is, IBS makes people feel miserable. This syndrome is a functional disorder; in other words, tests can detect no evidence of pathology to explain the symptoms. Normally, the contents of the intestines are propelled by muscular contractions. In people who have IBS these contractions are irregular and uncoordinated, causing intestinal distress. Symptoms common to IBS are abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, alternating constipation and diarrhea, excessive gas, distension and bloating, appetite loss, headaches, and fatigue. Symptoms are aggravated by certain foods, alcohol, caffeine, and smoking. IBS does not lead to cancer or any other disease. Some symptoms can be relieved by changes in diet, eating habits, and medical treatment.

Who gets it? In the US, women are twice as likely as men to suffer with IBS. It occurs in young people, with more people identifying the symptoms of the syndrome before the age of thirty-five.

9. Lupus Erythematosus (LUPUS)

What is it? Lupus Erythematosus is an autoimmune disease that generally affects the skin, kidneys, joints, lungs, and blood. It may affect every system of the body. In lupus the immune system becomes hyperactive and produces excessive amounts of the blood proteins called antibodies. When functioning appropriately, these antibodies attack foreign invaders of the body, such as bacteria; during lupus flare ups, the antibodies attack healthy tissue and cells. Lupus can strike suddenly or appear gradually. Symptoms exacerbate and remit and in some cases may manifest themselves so slightly that they may not be noticed. Symptoms do not occur in a typical pattern, thus complicating diagnosis. One person with lupus may feel flu-like symptoms, while another may have kidney problems. There is not cure for lupus, though symptoms often respond to treatment. There are three kinds of lupus-discoid, systemic, and drug induced. Discoid lupus causes a pronounced rash of the face and scalp and severe hair loss and may leave scars on face and scalp. Typically, discoid lupus causes little internal disease; however, a small percentage (5 percent) of the people with discoid lupus may experience a systemic attack at some time in their lives. Systemic lupus involves not only the skin but also internal systems such as kidneys, blood, joints, tendons, and lungs. Symptoms such as sun sensitivity, sharp pains in lower parts of the chest, joint pain, fever, kidney inflammation, and anemia are common. The cause of lupus is presently unknown, but intensive research activity takes place worldwide. Some researchers are looking into the possibility that lupus is a viral disease; other causes being investigated are immune dysfunction, sun exposure, and infection.

Who gets it? Women develop lupus eight to ten times more often then men. The illness tends to attack women during their childbearing years. In some women the first symptoms and signs develop during pregnancy, in others they appear soon after delivery. While men and children contract lupus less frequently than women, they suffer similar symptoms. The Lupus Foundation estimates that there are 500,000 Americans who suffer with lupus.

10. Lyme Disease

What is it? Lyme disease is an inflammatory disorder that is transmitted by a tick borne spirochete. The disease gained recognition in the US in 1975, when an unusual number of cases were identified in Lyme, Connecticut- hence the name. Typically, a small red lesion identifies the presence of a tick bite. The symptoms become evident within three to thirty days after the bite’s occurrence. They include fatigue, headache, fever, and stiffness of neck. Less frequently occurring symptoms are backache, nausea, vomiting, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands. When the illness is not detected and treated early, it may trigger neurological problems, arthritis, and persistent muscle pain. Research indicated that Lyme disease may trigger the onset of fibromyalgia. Symptoms may relapse and remit, and they may linger for extended periods of time. Administration of antibiotics is effective treatment once the disease is identified.

Who gets it? Adults and children are susceptible to Lyme disease. Cases of the disease have been noted in almost every state as well as in Europe.

11. Migraine

What is it? Migraine is not, as several individuals told me, “just a headache”. The pain of migraine, a disorder of the cranial circulation, is caused by dilation of the scalp arteries. What causes the dilation is not known, but research suggests that it may be genetically transmitted. Recurrent attacks of intense pain can occur once a day or once a month. The pain may occur unilaterally (on one side of the head) or generally about the head. It often begins in the eye or in the area surrounding the eye. While intensity, type, and pattern of migraine vary from person to person, the symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and fatigue. Migraine is typically preceded by prodromal symptoms, which are sometimes called aura symptoms. These symptoms signal the onset of migraine and may include pain and needles in fingers, hands, and face, loss of appetite, irritability, restlessness, and depression. These symptoms abate after the migraine begins.

Who gets it? Migraine usually begins between the ages of ten and thirty. In some cases migraines go into remission after the age of fifty. Women are more likely then men to be afflicted with migraines; children are struck with the disorder less often then adults.

12. Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

What is it? Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system in which the nerve cells lose their covering of myelin, a fatty tissue that insulates the cells and facilitates the transmission of messages within the nervous system. Plaques form where the myelin has been destroyed. These plaques interfere with communication within the nervous system. The symptoms of MS are multifocal, transient, and recurrent. They include weakness of limbs, bladder urgency, loss of bowel and bladder control, numbness, tingling in limbs, parathesias (shock like symptoms), and chronic fatigue. When MS is suspected from clinical observation, CT scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can confirm the diagnosis. There is no cure, but some symptoms can be alleviated with treatment. The course of the disease is unpredictable and varies greatly with each individual. For 20 percent of the population of people with MS the illness is benign. Benign MS is characterized by one or two exacerbations of symptoms with complete recovery. The exacerbations of symptoms may be so mild as to go unnoticed. The majority of people with MS, 60-70 percent, have exacerbating-remitting multiple sclerosis. When an exacerbation of symptoms occurs, it can last for periods of days, weeks, moths, or years; then symptoms may remit unpredictably. Remissions, may last for extended periods of time, possibly for years. Progressive MS (my mom has this one) affects 10-20 percent of the MS population. This form of MS appears gradually but steadily progresses and cause incapacitation.

Who gets it? Men and women are affected by MS, though it is more common in women between the ages of twenty to fifty. Children under twelve are not susceptible to MS. Perhaps as diagnostic methods become more sophisticated and accurate; the diagnosis of MS may be determined at earlier ages then previously thought. It is typically found in people living in the northern hemisphere. 250,000 people have been diagnosed with MS in the US; the National Multiple Sclerosis Society suspects that there may be more cases of undiagnosed MS.

13. Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS)

What is it? PPS, also called post-polio sequelae and progressive post-polio muscular atrophy (PPMA), is regarded as the late effects of polio. In the 1940’s and 1950’s epidemics of this crippling viral disease caused widespread fear. Vast amounts of money went to support research in search of a cure. The result was the discovery and development of the Salk and Sabin vaccines, which virtually eliminated the disease. But in the 1980’s physicians and physical rehabilitation therapists, as well as past victims of polio, observed a consistent set of physical problems being experienced by past victims of polio. Initially, the medical community failed to pay attention to what the polio patients were beginning to call post-polio syndrome. Not until the survivors of polio organized associations such as the Polio Society and the International Polio Network was the syndrome fully acknowledged. The difference in attention that has been given to polio as opposed to that given to PPS dramatizes the predicament of ICI sufferers. When polio was an evident and widely recognized disease, research was financed and patients were treated with intense medical attention. As an invisible chronic illness, PPS is only beginning to be accepted as an authentic disorder and the victims given the treatment and medical advice they need to manage their symptoms. The symptoms include fatigue, new joint and muscle pain, decreased stamina, new difficulties in breathing, new muscle weakness, generalized pain, and sensitivity to cold. Not everyone experiences the same symptoms or the same severity of symptoms. According to the Polio Society, “the most widely accepted explanation (for PPS) is that nerve cells damaged by the polio virus decades earlier, as well as the neighboring nerve cells that took over for those killed by the virus, are now wearing out. “

Who gets it? 640,000 people contracted polio and of these it is estimated that half suffer today with post-polio syndrome.

14. Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

What is it? Premenstrual syndrome is probably the most maligned and dismissed disorder afflicting women. It is characterized by cyclicity, occurring eight to ten days before menstruation and disappearing immediately after menstrual flow begins. Physician and PMS expert Katharina Dalton indicates a specific set of criteria for diagnosis of PMS:
1. Symptoms must be present every month for at least the previous three months.
2. Symptoms must be present premenstrually and cannot start before ovulation.
3. There must be a complete absence of symptoms after menstruation for a minimum of seven days.

The symptoms of PMS are caused by fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone, which cause retention of fluids. Symptoms vary in intensity and nature, but the list includes fatigue, breast swelling and tenderness, weight gain, bloating, headaches, vertigo, abdominal cramps, acne, muscle aches, depression, and irritability. For most women symptoms do not tend to be disabling, but they are disturbing and persistent. For women who suffer with severe PMS the symptoms interfere with normal function and the disorder is agonizing.

Who gets is? Millions of women.

15. Thyroid Illness

What is it? Thyroid illnesses are caused by the overproduction of hormone (hyperthyroidism) or the underproduction of hormone (hypothyroidism). These conditions can affect different parts of the body; including the skin, heart, liver, and kidneys. When the thyroid produces too much hormone, primarily triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), symptoms such as dry skin, heart palpitations, weigh loss, eye complications, bowel dysfunction, and nervousness are triggered. The symptoms caused by an inadequate production of hormone are weight gain, hair loss, prematurely grey hair, fatigue, and constipation. Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism can be detected through blood tests and familt history. Unfortunately, people afflicted with these illnesses are often misdiagnosed because such symptoms as fatigue, nervousness, and weight change are indicative of so many illnesses. These conditions can be treated and cured.

Who gets it? Thyroid illnesses are inherited conditions that are more likely to strike women then men. Hyperthyroidism typically occurs between ages of twenty and forty while hypothyroidism is more common after the age of fifty.

Sources: Monique Marie
Dr. paul Donoghue
Dr. Mary Siegal
Center for Disease Control
www.fatigueandfibro.com

Children's Science Exam

Shiloh Jolie Pitt — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:16:07 -0700

If you need a good laugh, try reading through these children's science exam answers...

Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them perspire.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour? (Brilliant, love this!)
A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What causes the tides in the oceans?
A: The tides are a fight between the Earth and the Moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, because there is no water on the moon, and nature hates a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins in this fight.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental

Q: What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?
A: He says good-bye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery.

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.

Q: How are the main parts of the body categorized? ( e.g., abdomen)
A: The body is consisted into three parts -- the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain; the borax contains the heart and lungs, and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels A, E, I, O, and U.

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: What does 'varicose' mean?
A: Nearby.

Q: Give the meaning of the term 'Caesarian Section.'
A: The Caesarian Section is a district in Rome.

Q: What does the word 'benign' mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight

It is so much worse than anyone thought it was

wackdoodle — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:01:34 -0800

Regarding my sister and her breast cancer. The whole situation is far worse than we ever thought. Far worse than the doctors thought or told my sister her cancer was.

She's has four chemotherapy treatments and the tumors have responded positively. The oncologist says that the cancer in the lymph nodes appears to be 'resolved' aka 'in remission'. And the tumor in her breast has shrunken significantly and is also 'in remission'.

Now the bad part, the tumor which they keep calling Breast Cancer is not inside her breast- in invaded into her mammary ducts (invasive ductile breast cancer was her diagnosis). Initially the doctors said she was either a stage 1 or stage 2 cancer patient. However the tumor they describe as "breast cancer" is actually inside her chest cavity attached to her ribcage near her heart and lungs. It is attached to her ribcage and it invaded her breast therefore they consider it breast cancer not lung or bone cancer.

So now since they say she's in remission the surgery talk and after surgery treatment talk has started. One surgeon wants to only do a lumpectomy of her breast and remove the some of lymph nodes in her arm but leave the cancerous tumor (that they think is dead) in her chest and leave the formerly cancerous lymph nodes in her neck in place. Until a consensus is reached all of her treatments have stopped and my sister is sitting at home watching her life fade minute by minute knowing now that she hasn't a chance to survive.

This isn't acceptable to her or I. She wants the cancer tumors removed - everything. So she wants and I support her having a full mastectomy not lumpectomy. But they won't remove the cause of her losing her breast the tumor underneath the breast (we both agree that losing the breast is no big deal because at this point her breast is a health hazard and it doesn't define who she is). One male surgeon seems obsessed with not having to remove her entire breast and keeps saying a lumpectomy will "save" the breast but our view is that it will also expedite the ending of her life and torture her everyday because she will live in fear that they missed some of the cancer cells in the remaining breast.

The doctors could actual remove the piece of ribcage that the tumor is attached too but the are dead set against it because she will have to have chest tubes temporarily to re-inflate her lungs. In the scheme of things she is and I am okay with her having this section of ribcage removed and having the chest tube because then the tumor will be out of her body instead of sitting there always threatening to restart its cancerous activities again.

So right now there is argument between the tumor board, the doctors and my sister over whether they should be as aggressive as my sister wants them to be. The problem lies in this - my sister has Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Triple Negative cannot be treated with hormonal treatment or the Tamoxifen or any other cancer drugs after the mastectomy or even before. Only chemotherapy and radiation can try to beat Triple Negative but they can only treat a patient with chemotherapy so many times before the cancer adapts and fails to respond to it. Same for the radiation. So the doctors have to be cautious in using the only two treatments available for her current Triple Negative Breast cancer BECAUSE Triple Negative woman tend to develop other cancers within 5 to 7 years of going into remission for the breast cancer.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer patients rapidly develop advanced cases of liver, pancreatic, brain or bone cancer that is fatal because they won't respond to chemo or radiation and the organ cannot be removed without killing the patient. So in order to try to fight the future cancers the doctors are being semi-aggressive about treating the first cancer - and try to just get her into remission and give her a brief reprieve from having cancer.

So when she started this battle the doctors said she had a better than 70% chance of survival overall including the surgery.

Yesterday my sister spoke to the doctors and they revised her chances. She now has less than a 50% chance of surviving the surgery and if she survives the surgery she has a less than 50% chance of surviving 18 months. Why? Because they are almost positive that the radiation therapy that she must have in order to insure that the tumor in her chest is dead will seriously damage her heart. And once that damage occurs there is nothing they can do to help her - and they would not proceed with further chemo or radiation treatment because her heart would not be able to withstand the treatments.

So basically the doctors are now saying that they what they thought was stage 1 or stage 2 breast cancer was actually closer to terminal rather than survivable. They wasted a lot of time "thinking" about how to treat her rather than immediately treating her and re-evaluating treatment as they went along.

So I am at a loss over how this could happen and whether we should just chuck those current doctors and do everything we can to get her to the top medical centers in the country to have more experienced and more truthful doctors treat her.

My sister is truly broken. She's disheartened and there is no sunny side to this picture. Then to compound matters her youngest son, Jeff has decided to do the stupidest thing ever which is to give up his total free ride pre-paid college education to join the Marines. He has made this irrational decision because his girlfriends uncle convinced him that the Marines is the answer to all his problem and would make him a man. This man and the Marine recruiter have convinced my nephew that the Marines offers him more of a step up in life then going to college and getting a degree. They've convinced him that he'll have more "freedom" in the military then he would ever obtain from going to college. They have told him that he cannot wait to join the Marines he should do it now because college will always be there. Yes college will always be there but the full pre-paid tuition plus stipend won't be and there's no guarantee that he'll make it out of the Marines alive or without PTSD which could make it difficult for him to survive outside the military.

So while she is fighting for her life, she will also be worrying about whether her son is lying dead in some foreign country and when she really takes a turn for the worse that she won;t be able to see him a final time and tell him that she loves him and give him a chance to say goodbye since he never got a chance to say goodbye to his dad (because he died suddenly) or his granddad (because he died suddenly). So now my sister is going to ask my nephew again to postpone his decision to enlist for about 18 to 24 months. The amount of time the doctors think that she has left to live.

Again, the breast self examine that she did monthly did not find this tumor. The breast examine the doctor did during her pap did not find this tumor. The mammogram didn't actually find the tumor but did catch a glimpse of something happening in her chest cavity. Only the MRI showed this "breast cancer". And the strange thing is that doctors know that MRIs of breasts are a far better way to see if there is anything abnormal in the breast. Mammograms are obsolete and breast self examines provide a false sense of security to women.

My sister has probably only had this tumor for about a year and half to 2 years. The fact that she probably had cancer shows up on the numerous blood tests that was had taken over and over again about a year and half ago. They showed repeatedly that she had an elevated SED rate but no doctor ever looked to see why her SED rate was evaluated and rising from test to test. A full body scan probably would have shown the beginnings of the tumor on/in her ribcage chest. But instead they went with the cheapest and simplest answer which was "you probably have an infection that you aren't aware of." But for a year and half they give her antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs and got even higher SED rate numbers. And no doctor bothered to think that the other reason for an evaluated SED rate (some form of cancer) was what they should be considering instead of sticking with the mystery infection explanation.

Me I'm angry. Once again I'll lose another family member early. First my mom, then my sister's husband who was like a surrogate dad for me, then my own dad, my grandparents and now I'm going to lose my sister.

Supreme Court will decide if Sr Bush officials were responsible for detainee mistreatment

stephley — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 13:55:43 -0800

Supreme Court Hearing Arguments on Ashcroft, Mueller Immunity
By Warren Richey, Christian Science Monitor. December 10, 2008.

The U.S. Supreme Court this week takes up a case examining whether cabinet-level officials in the Bush White House can be held legally accountable for the administration's controversial tactics in the war on terror.

At issue is an attempt to force former Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI director Robert Mueller to stand trial with federal agents, prison guards, and their supervisors. They are all named in a lawsuit filed by a Pakistani man who was held as a terror suspect for five months in solitary confinement in a U.S. prison although there was no evidence connecting him to terrorism.

The case is set for oral argument on Wednesday.

Javaid Iqbal was among hundreds of Middle Eastern and South Asian Muslims who were swept up in a massive government dragnet in the New York City area in the weeks and months after the Sept. 11 attacks. Most of the men were arrested on valid immigration-related charges. But instead of being housed in an immigration detention center to await deportation, some of the men -- including Mr. Iqbal -- were taken to a maximum security section of a federal prison in Brooklyn.

Iqbal's lawsuit alleges that he was subjected to "brutal mistreatment and discrimination" by federal officials who arbitrarily classified him as a Sept. 11 suspect "of high interest" to the FBI solely because he was a Muslim from Pakistan.

Many of Iqbal's claims are consistent with the findings of an April 2003 report by the Department of Justice's Inspector General. The report criticized officials for establishing a system that punished detainees and treated them as guilty until proven innocent. The report said many Muslim men were held under harsh conditions on baseless leads that the FBI took months to investigate and disprove.

The suit alleges systematic mistreatment, including being held 23 hours a day in a solitary confinement cell with the windows painted over and the lights always on. Iqbal was given minimal bedding. The air conditioning was run in the winter, the heat turned on in the summer. He was subjected to daily strip and body-cavity searches. The guards once forced him to submit to three consecutive body-cavity searches in a row while still in the same room. When he protested a fourth search, he was punched and kicked by the guards, the suit alleges. By the time he was released, he'd lost 40 pounds.

Lawyers for Mr. Ashcroft and Mr. Mueller are challenging their inclusion in the lawsuit, saying they had no personal involvement in the alleged mistreatment and no knowledge of Iqbal.

Iqbal's lawyers say that Ashcroft was a "principal architect" of the harsh detention policy and that Mueller was instrumental in adopting and carrying out the policy.

"The policy of holding post-September 11th detainees in highly restrictive conditions of confinement until they were 'cleared' by the FBI was approved by defendants Ashcroft and Mueller," Iqbal's lawsuit says.

Ashcroft and others "knew of, condoned, and willfully and maliciously agreed to subject [Iqbal and others] to these conditions of confinement as a matter of policy, solely on account of their religion, race, and/or national origin and for no legitimate penological interest," the suit says.

A federal judge refused to throw out the suit against Ashcroft and Mueller. On appeal, a panel of the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York also refused to remove them from the case.

"It is plausible to believe that senior officials of the Department of Justice would be aware of policies concerning the detention of those arrested by federal officers in the New York City area in the aftermath of 9/11 and would know about, condone, or otherwise have personal involvement in the implementation of those policies," the appeals court panel said.

Solicitor General Gregory Garre is asking the Supreme Court to reverse that decision. He argues that Iqbal's lawyers have not presented enough specific evidence linking Ashcroft and Mueller to Iqbal's plight.

The case involves highly generalized and speculative allegations against Ashcroft and Mueller that are insufficient to overcome the officials' qualified immunity, Mr. Garre says in his brief to the court. "A complaint must allege sufficient facts to cross the line between possibility and plausibility," he writes.

Iqbal's lawyer, Alexander Reinert of New York, says the Justice Department is seeking to put plaintiffs' lawyers in a no-win situation, a Catch-22. In the Iqbal case, the government possesses almost all the evidence about the origin and development of the Brooklyn detention policy, he says, yet government lawyers argue that unless Iqbal can cite that evidence in his initial complaint, the suit against Ashcroft and Mueller must be dismissed regardless of what that evidence might reveal about Ashcroft's and Mueller's involvement or lack of involvement.

Mr. Reinert says the Iqbal lawsuit contains specific enough evidence to give government officials fair notice and to demonstrate the plausibility of Iqbal's case.

"This case is really about access to court and access to justice," Reinert says. "It is about the ability of plaintiffs who have suffered from government misconduct to get into court."

The case is Ashcroft v. Iqbal (07-1015). A decision is expected by June.

Good News! A cure for colony collapse?

amybdk — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:57:22 -0700

New research has proposed both a concrete cause for bee colony collapse disorder, as well as a cure.

Source: http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2009/04/a-cure-for-colony-collapse.a...

There may finally be some good news when it comes to colony collapse disorder. Starting a few years ago, apiarists began noticing that honey bee colonies were dying off in record numbers. A whole host of suggestions were put forward as to why-some reports even attempted to link cell phone usage with the loss of honey bees. Oddball suggestions aside, detailed studies into the DNA and health of the bees found that fungal invaders or viruses were potential causes of the large-scale collapses.

A new study published in the journal Environmental Microbiology Reports may clarify things, as a team of Spanish researchers report the cause of the colony collapse disorder, and also suggest a cure. The researchers isolated the parasitic fungi Nosema ceranae from a pair of Spanish apiaries, while finding none of the other proposed causes-Varroa destructor, IAPV, or pesticides. With the identification of the invading pathogen, the team treated other diseased colonies with fumagillin-an antibiotic-and observed a complete recovery of the colony.

Honeybees play a key role in horticulture as they are significant pollinators of fruit, crops, and wild flowers. They are indispensable to many sustainable agriculture farms, so keeping them healthy is of great concern. While they are important, other research has suggested using wild bees-those that are solitary cavity- or soil-nesting insects-as opposed to large colonies of honey bees, can result in successful pollination as well.

While honey bees are presumably under constant attack from a variety of pathogens, many of these parasites have unknown or, at best, poorly understood molecular features. "Now that we know one strain of parasite that could be responsible, we can look for signs of infection and treat any infected colonies before the infection spreads," said Dr Higes, principle researcher on the project. While this may not be a global solution to the colony collapse disorder, if it can save a few hives, it will be cause for celebration in the apiarist community.

In keeping with my eclectic taste (no pun intended): The other dark meat

Grandpa — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 04:23:40 -0800

The other dark meat: Raccoon is making it to the table
By Lee Hill Kavanaugh | Kansas City Star
He rolls into the parking lot of Leon's Thriftway in an old, maroon Impala with a trunk full of frozen meat. Raccoon - the other dark meat.
In five minutes, Montrose, Mo., trapper Larry Brownsberger is sold out in the lot at 39th Street and Kensington Avenue. Word has gotten around about how clean his frozen raccoon carcasses are. How nicely they’re tucked up in their brown butcher paper. How they almost look like a trussed turkey … or something.
His loyal customers beam as they leave, thinking about the meal they'll soon be eating.
That is, as soon as the meat is thawed. Then brined. Soaked overnight. Parboiled for two hours. Slow-roasted or smoked or barbecued to perfection.
Raccoon, which made the first edition of The Joy of Cooking in 1931, is labor-intensive but well worth the time, aficionados say.
"Good things come to those who wait," says A. Reed, 86, who has been eating raccoon since she was a girl.
"This right here," she says, holding up a couple of brown packages tied with burlap string, “this is a great value. And really good eatin’. Best-kept secret around.”
Raccoons go for $3 to $7 - each, not per pound - and will feed about five adults. Four, if they’re really hungry.
Those who dine on raccoon meat sound the same refrain: It's good eatin'.
As long as you can get past the "ick" factor that it's a varmint, more often seen flattened on asphalt than featured on a restaurant menu. (One exception: French restaurant Le Fou Frog served raccoon about a dozen years ago, a waiter said.)
Eating varmints is even in vogue these days, at least in Britain. The New York Times reported last week that Brits are eating squirrels with wild abandon.
Here in Kansas City, you won't see many, if any, squirrel ads in the papers. But that's where Brownsberger was advertising his raccoons last week.
The meat isn’t USDA-inspected, and few state regulations apply, same as with deer and other game. No laws prevent trappers from selling raccoon carcasses.
As for diseases, raccoon rabies doesn't exist in Missouri, state conservation scientists say. It's an East Coast phenomenon. Parvo and distemper kill raccoons quickly but aren’t transferred to humans. Also, trappers are unlikely to sell meat from an animal that appears to be diseased.
"Raccoon meat is some of the healthiest meat you can eat," says Jeff Beringer, a furbearer resource biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation.
"During grad school, my roommate and I ate 32 coons one winter. It was all free, and it was really good. If you think about being green and eating organically, raccoon meat is the ultimate organic food," with no steroids, no antibiotics, no growth hormones.
And when people eat wild meat, Beringer says, "it reminds the modernized society - people who usually eat food from a plastic wrapper - where food comes from.”
Statewide, consumption of raccoon meat can be tracked somewhat by how many raccoon pelts are harvested each year. In 2007, 118,166 pelts were sold.
But there are plenty more out there, Beringer says. The raccoon population "doubled in the '80s. There's more now than when Missouri was first settled."
He estimates there are about 20 raccoons per square mile of habitat.
In the wild, raccoons typically live five or six years. Populations that grow too dense can be decimated by disease, especially when temperatures drop, Beringer says.
"The animals huddle together, passing on the infections. In the winter, we sometimes have massive die-offs. If we can control the fluctuations in the populations by hunting and trapping, we can have healthier animals."
Fur trappers, who harvest most of the raccoons sold in Missouri, "try to kill as humanely as possible," says Beringer, a trapper himself. "It's part of the culture."
Pelts last year sold on average for about $17. They're used for coats and hats, and many are sold to Russia. But the conflict between Russia and Georgia severely cut into the fur-trading market, Beringer says. "Pelts will probably be less this year."
For the average person, who probably doesn't spend much time thinking how a steer or a pig or a chicken might meet its maker, raccoons may seem too cute to eat.
Until you try one.
At the Blue Springs home of Billy Washington, raccoon, fish, bison and deer are staples on his family’s table.
On this day, it's raccoon.
All night he has been soaking a carcass in a solution of salt and vinegar in a five-gallon bucket. Now he rinses the raccoon in his kitchen sink.
"Eating raccoon has never gone out of style. It's just hard to get unless you know somebody," he says as he carefully trims away the fat and the scent glands.
"My kids love eating game. They think eating deer and buffalo make you run faster and jump higher. My grandkids will just tear this one up, it'll be so good."
The meat is almost ready to be boiled, except for one thing: Although its head, innards and three paws have been removed, it still has one. That’s the law.
"They leave the paw on to prove it's not a cat or a dog," Washington says.
He cuts off the paw and drops the carcass into a stew pot, slices up a carrot, celery and onion, and sprinkles some seasoning into the water. Two and a half hours later, he transfers it to a Dutch oven. It looks a lot like chicken.
He bathes the raccoon with his own combination of barbecue sauces. Stuffs the cavity with canned sweet potatoes and pours the rest of the juice from the can over the breast.
"I follow the same tradition I watched when I was little. My uncle would cook 'em all day, saving the littlest coon for me," he says.
"If stores could sell coon, we’d run out of them. It's a long-hidden secret that they're so good."
After several hours, a delicious smell - roast beef? chicken? - drifts from the oven.
A mingling of garlic and onion and sweet-smelling spices.
And when Washington opens the lid, a tiny leg falls easily from the bone.
“See that? Tender as a mother’s love,” he says with a grin. “Good eatin’.”
And the taste?
Definitely not chicken.

Double Biography posting today!

ashleycakes — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 11:18:41 -0700

Sorry for no posting yesterday, I had to go to the dentist and get a stupid filling. I can't believe I still get cavities! I'm going to get the rest of my molars that haven't had cavities before sealed in about a month, so maybe I won't get any more cavities after that!! Anyway, here we go. The biographies for the day are Tawny Cypress, who plays Simone Deveaux on Heroes, and Santiago Cabrera, who plays Isaac Mendez.

Tawny Cypress Biography:
Tawny Cypress was born August 8, 1976 in Point Pleasant, New Jersey, USA. She is of mixed heritage; her mother is Hungarian and German and her father is African-American with Native American heritage on his side as well.

Among her studies, Tawny Cypress has done stints at Boston University; Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey; and Mason Gross at Rutgers University. She is also a former student of Barbara Marchant and The William Esper Studio in New York City.

She's had major roles on the television shows "Third Watch," "Jonny Zero," "Love Monkey," and had the role of 'Bleeding Woman' in the feature film "World Trade Center." Tawny is best known for her role as Simone Deveaux, an art dealer and gallery owner whose cynicism and problematical romantic life are tested on the NBC hit sci-fi drama "Heroes." Tawny was married to Bill Charles from 2000 to 2004, and they have one child together.

Simone Deveaux Biography:
When Simone Deveaux is introduced in the premiere episode, she is an art dealer living in New York City who is romantically involved with artist Isaac Mendez. However, she becomes increasingly distressed with Isaac's heroin addiction and his claims that he can paint the future.

In the episode "One Giant Leap", Simone takes down a painting of Claire and Zach and tells Isaac that she is selling the paintings so that he can go to rehab. When Isaac refuses, she leaves him. Later that day, Peter Petrelli, who until recently had been a hospice nurse caring for Simone's father, confesses his love for her. Although the two spend the night together, Simone doesn't want to rush into a new relationship.

Several days later, Simone tells Peter that her father has died. When Peter inquires about the painting by Isaac which she sold recently, Simone tells him Mr. Linderman bought it.

After Peter's brother Nathan retrieves the painting, he and Simone view it together. Nathan destroys the painting, which angers Simone. However, she is able to show Peter a digital replica and the image depicted seems to be a dead man resembling Peter. Nevertheless, Peter decides to go to the Union Wells high school homecoming shown in the picture. Simone is gradually starting to believe that Isaac can paint the future, and hopes Peter will come back alive.

In the episode "Fallout", Peter has a vision in which he sees all of the series' main characters in New York, seemingly running away from him. Among them is Simone, who runs towards him, only to be stopped by Isaac and dragged away.

Two weeks later, in "Godsend", Simone visits Peter, who has been comatose for the whole time, in the hospital. She later returns with Nathan to Isaac's loft, where she is greeted by a reformed Isaac. He states that he was in a clinic and can now paint without using heroin, and tells Simone he still loves her. Suddenly, Isaac's new friends Hiro Nakamura and Ando Masahashi arrive. After introductions, Hiro mentions that the Linderman Group has a sword he wants. Simone states that Linderman is an avid art collector, and recommends Hiro take a painting with him to see Linderman in Las Vegas.

During the events of "Distractions", Simone goes to Isaac for help in locating Peter Petrelli. After the two talk, Isaac tells her to keep the key to his apartment. Later, in the same episode, Simone meets with Isaac on the roof of her departed father's building and they discuss the future before going to dinner together.

In the episode "Unexpected", Simone visits Isaac, but the painter tells her that he thinks Peter might have left New York (though he is in fact aware that he is still somewhere in the city). She doesn't believe him, and thinks that he is trying to drive a wedge into her and Peter's relationship out of jealousy. Isaac reasons that he is trying to protect her from Peter, for he is too dangerous. Simone then attempts to give Isaac his key back, but again he refuses, and says that he will do anything for her. Simone only wants for him to find Peter.

Later, Simone confronts Nathan, telling him to reveal Peter's condition as well as the powers of others, in order to get help. However, Nathan refuses, afraid of being considered a freak and taken in for testing and probably lose the elections. Seeing Nathan is not going to budge, Simone leaves, remarking that she's "voting for the other guy". Nathan warns her not to say anything, but she doesn't respond.

Simone returns to the apartment again, but she is accidentally shot in the chest by Isaac, who had been trying to shoot down the invisible Peter. She collapses in Peter's arms. As she dies, her hand opens up to reveal Isaac's key.

Santiago Cabrera Biography:
Santiago Cabrera (born May 5, 1978) is a Chilean actor. The middle child of a Chilean diplomat father and homemaker mother, Cabrera was born in Caracas, Venezuela and lived in Toronto, London, Madrid and Romania before his family returned to Chile when he was fifteen years old. As captain of the soccer team in high school, Cabrera focused on athletics before switching gears and headed towards acting when his high school drama teacher encouraged him to try acting. During his three years of training at the Drama Centre, Cabrera honed his acting skills in productions of "The Madras House," "A Month in the Country," "Napoli Milionaria," "Britannicus," "The Dutch Courtesan," "The Strangeness of Others," "A Field," "Three Birds Alighting On," and played the title character in "The Last Days of Don Juan."

Concurrent with his final year at the Centre, he made his television debut with small roles in the London series "Battles of Britain," "Judge John Deed," "Spooks" and "As If." His first role after graduating from drama school was Montano in Shakespeare's "Othello," at the Northampton Theatre Royal. He has also appeared on Love and Other Disasters.

He has appeared on American television in Empire (where he portrays Octavius, Julius Caesar's teenage nephew, whom Caesar named as his successor before his death) and Heroes.

In addition to his fluency in Spanish, English, French and Italian, Cabrera is skilled in tennis, hockey and scuba diving. On the 20 January 2007 episode of the NBC late-night program "Vivo Mun2", Cabrera discussed his semi-professional football career in London before he fully committed to acting. He also stated that C.D. Universidad Católica of Santiago is his favorite team. While he considers Santiago, Chile to be his hometown, he currently resides in London.

Isaac Mendez Biography:
Isaac has the power of precognition, which allows him to depict images of the future while in a trance-like state. While in this state, his pupils and irises fade into light white color and he becomes unresponsively focused on painting the images in his mind. Very little context comes to Isaac when he sees the future. He can't tell anything about the people, places, or events involved beyond what he specifically sees at that moment. Thus, he is often surprised to find out weeks later what his work is actually depicting. Also due to the previous heroin use, Isaac was not able to clearly remember certain images after he painted them, as he stated in "Better Halves."It would seem that his precognitive abilities also augment his natural abilities as a painter, as Simone once complimented how much she appreciates the works he creates when he is high, and from the way Peter completed the unfinished portrait in "Hiros" despite the latter having no innate talents whatsoever as a painter

Originally, Isaac's powers were triggered by the use of heroin, and he was unable to use his powers without it. During the episode "Hiros", Peter Petrelli mimics Isaac's precognitive ability without the use of heroin. A TV Guide article from early October, 2006, revealed that he would eventually try to find out if his power works without using heroin.

In "Seven Minutes to Midnight", Isaac attempted just this, unsuccessfully. He does so successfully in "Fallout", after relaxing and taking advice from Hiro Nakamura to concentrate.

As evidenced by his multiple paintings of Hiro in the past, it seems that Isaac does not predict the future of the world, but the future of individuals or groups.

In "Distractions", it is revealed that it's possible for Issac to paint specific people and places if he honed his powers. As evidenced in the episode Isaac reveals that he can interpret his drawings far better than while on heroin.

Using his precognitive ability, Isaac has created several art pieces that depict future events. Each piece is made for the show by comic book artist Tim Sale, who uses an ink wash paint style on paper media. Isaac is only shown painting the beginning outline or adding final coloring to the paintings. The events depicted in each painting are often straightforward and recognizable, but others can be more subjective and open to interpretation. It is common to see a painting with seemingly no significance to the story, only to see it come to fruition in a later episode. For example, a painting of a hand holding a glass of boiling water appeared in pilot episode, "Genesis". This comes to pass seven episodes later during Ted Sprague's interrogation.