coquina

My mom was 95 when she broke her hip and subsequently developed a staph infection between the bone and prosthesis. She fought hard to overcome it despite getting bedsores and then having an idiot in the nursing home dislocate her hip. I had never heard her cry before, but when the nurses changed her dressings, I could her her screams at the opposite end of the hall. Then the infection went septic and she had a massive GI bleed. I called her doctor and told him "no more". He gave her a fentanyl patch and an increased her morphine dose and she just wound down like an old clock. During the last day, I wouldn't let any of the nursing staff near her, not even to take her vitals - I figured they had tormented her enough. Doctors commonly hasten the death of the terminally ill - I believe the term commonly used is to "snow" them with pain meds. In Mom's case I guess it was "physician assisted homocide" because it was me that asked him to terminate her suffering. I'd do it again. I do think that terminally ill patients should have the right to palliative care and the right to die with dignity. I am a widow - my husband didn't have a terminal illness - he had been fine the day before, but when I woke up the next morning he was dead. However - I participate in another forum for the "involuntarily unspoused" and have read some real horror stories of long years of debilitating illness. I will say that several of the spouses did commit suicide so they could die with dignity. None of them did it with their spouses knowledge or approval, and I believe the suicide increased their bereavement. Sometimes there are no good answers...

Given the recent removal of Vioxx from the market, I was wondering if any of you have ever had serious adverse reactions to a newly prescribed medication. I'm also hoping for some comments from Drug Addict. Several years ago, I got thrombocytopenia as an adverse reaction to Pravochol. It was an enlightening and frightening experience, to put it mildly. Rather than give me a prescription, the doc gave me a couple weeks worth of samples, but he didn't warn me to watch of for any specific adverse reactions. After I had taken it for a few days, I noticed a few bruises I didn't remember acquiring, but I didn't think much about them, because I work in a machine shop and I am a klutz, so it is not unusual for me to bash myself and not remember it. We went away for the weekend and on a Saturday morning I saw big purple streaks across my stomach. I had been bitten by a gnat and had scratched the itch in the middle of the night - not hard, either. At that point I realized I was probably having a drug reaction, but didn't know how serious it was, so I figured I'd just stop taking the pills and call the doc on Monday. Several new bruises appeared, but when I woke up on Monday morning, my arms and legs were covered with small red dots - a petechial rash. I called my doc and he had me come in immediately. He took blood samples and told me to come in for the results the next day. I was awakened the next morning by the ringing of the phone - it was my doc and he wanted me in his office immediately. He showed me the results of the platelet count test - 6,000, with the word PANIC!!! written in red by the lab tech. Normal ranges are from 150,000 to 400,000 per cubic mililiter. It took me over six months to recover from that escapade. I had to take massive doses of prednisone, every time they started to taper it off, the thrombocyte count would drop like a rock. It's my understanding that thrombocytopenia can occur from many different kinds of drugs. I really think patients should be made more aware of the seriousness of it and advised to call their physician or go to the ER at the first inkling of problems.

I saw an experiment in a science museum once which I think explains what you are describing. A model locomotive was on a track - it had a funnel at the top of its smoke stack in which rested a red ball. The operator could push a button which launched the ball a short distance into the air. He did this several times while the train was sitting still, then asked the audience (Mostly children) what they thought would happen with the train started moving. The general concensus was that the ball would fall behind the train. However - the ball kept right on dropping into the funnel. He launched the ball just before the train went under a bridge - the train went under, the ball went over, and the ball fell right back in the funnel.

A long time ago an advice columnist wrote something that I have never forgotten - "Your friends may not always agree with you, but they'll stick by you through thick and thin. The opinions of everyone else don't matter." Since you said he had only known you for five minutes, he is obviously not a friend, so throw his opinion into the "doesn't matter" pile and forget it.

I got it. Very good. Think I'll send it to the physicist's I work with.

What do you mean? Do you mean how the fruit is formed or how the tree grows, or what? If you're referring to the apples themselves, having the fruit on the outside encourages animals to eat them and carry them away from the parent tree. If they all sprouted under the tree they would be stunted. If you're referring to how the trees grow, when you buy fruit trees from a nursery, many of them have been grafted. A branch of the apple is grafted onto the root stock of another tree. You can even graft several varieties of apples on the same root: http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/horticulture/H-00-049.htm My dad's hobby was raising fruit. There is a lot to it. You have to know how to prune them properly and you have to spray them often, to keep the tree from getting blight and/or insect infestation. (You have to spray the tree for insects when it is still blooming. The insects lay their So if you are looking at an apple tree and wondering why it has the shape it does, if it is in an orchard, the natural growth has been modified. In order to obtain large fruit, you want a minimum of green growth, because you don't want the tree to expend its energy making foliage, which takes nutrients away from the fruit. When the tree is blooming, there is a spray you apply to make a lot of the blossoms drop off = you don't want a lot of stunted apples, but a few large ones, so again, you divert the energy to the fruit you want to keep. As the apples grow, you remove any that are misformed or growing too close together.

The idea of starting out as a scientist and ending up in management is a good one. A manager is a science-based corporation will be much better at the job if he has the background. I own a machine shop - I work continually with mechanical engineers, and I also work with nuclear physicists, most of whom have never seen the inside of a machine shop and wouldn't be able to turn on a machine tool, much less manufacture something with it. However, they think if they can draw it on paper, I should be able to build it. Most of the time I can for enough money - but many times if I can talk to the end user I can find a way to accomplish the same purpose economically. I think this is true of any profession one enters - you will be a better manager if you learn the job from the ground up.

What do you mean by "subjective crap"? Are you referring analysing short stories or books? "What message was the author trying to convey?" etc. You can have fun with those - you don't have to go with the obvious. For example you could write that "At first glance it would seem that the author's intent was to show that even though one maybe subjected to horrible situations, through faith and perserverance one can rise above them. However, it is my belief that the author is a borderline psychopath who writes about people in misery, because he would like to put them in that position but hasn't the intestinal fortitude to do it." As long as you back up your statements, the teacher can't give you a bad grade because your interpretation doesn't match everyone elses. I remember having to write an analysis of a story called "The Japanese Quince" - I don't remember the theme of the story, and I don't remember what I wrote about it, but I do remember it was about the most boring piece of drivel I ever read. However, once I came up with my premise, it was fun to read the story from an entirely different point of view and analyse is that way.

My knees are in pretty good shape, but my back is a wreck. I have a genetic narrowing of the disks of the lower back - I have had surgery for a herniated disk, and now I have arthritis which makes it very difficult to sit for any length of time. I had a cortisone injection about 4 months ago which helped a great deal, but I need to have it done again.

No, I'm not evil. When I was a child, I did some evil things, but they were unintentional. The worst things I can remember involved my dad's poultry. There were two roosters in the pen - one of them was huge, and the other was small and scrawny. One day, when I was nearby, the big rooster crowed and I crowed back at him. Apparently the big rooster had issued a challange to the smaller one and I had answered it for him. The big rooster ran over to the small one, jumped on it, and spurred and pecked it. The poor thing hadn't a clue as to what had happened. The other thing also involved the big rooster. It was mean, and whenever I was collecting eggs, it would leap on me from behind and claw me with its spurs. After having my legs raked several times I decided it would try to make it afraid of me. I was unaware that it was a game rooster and would fight to the death. I donned my dad's hunting boots and canvas hunting coat, grabbed a crab net (picture a basket ball hoop with the bottom sewed closed which has been affixed to a six foot stick), and entered the hen pen. When the rooster came at me, I caught him in the net, swung him around my head a couple of times, and let fly. He went rolling ass over teacups across the hen pen and fetched up against the chicken coop. I thought he would leave me alone, but he got up, dusted himself off, and came after me again. This happened a couple of more times - he was literally staggering, but still fighting. The last time I caught him, I stuck him momentarily in the rain barrel - not to drown him, but just to bedraggle him. It was too much for him, when I dumped him out of the crabnet, he rolled over on his back and died. When my parents found out what I had done, they were flabbergasted - they didn't know I could be so wicked. I guess it goes to show that you can push me but so far, and then I will retaliate, and when I do, you better look out.

disrespect I despise hearing this used as a transitive verb, but just checked Merriam Webster, and it's legit. I guess I can "dis" and be "dissed" after all. "He disrespected me." Now - I ask you, doesn't that sound terrible?

You're quite welcome. Yes, I think you've given the reader adequate information to know that you are genuinely interested in pursuing a degree in science. Your statement should be concise and to the point. Remember that these people are wading through hundreds of applications, yours will stand out they can read it and get the information they require in a couple of minutes.

Also - I learned this from an orthopod who specializes in sports medicine. Most sports involve running and walking, so the muscles on the front and back of the knee get overdeveloped compared to the ones that control the knee from the sides and keep it in place. He advised lying on your side and doing leg lifts with an ankle weight to work out the outer side muscle and lying on the bed with your hip on the edge with the lower leg hanging off and doing leg lifts that way to strengthen the inside thigh muscle. As a result of strengthening these muscles, your knees will be completely supported all the way around.

Some things ya gotta learn to do right before you can wing it. Being able to write effectively is an extremely useful skill, and is greatly improved by practice. I'm sure I make grammatical and spelling errors in these posts, but I make an effort to write correctly. The more one does it, the easier it becomes. I do not have a college degree, I own a machine shop. Before the advent of the internet, the longest thing I wrote was an invoice. People form opinions of you based on reading what you write. If u abrevi8 evry othr wrd pepl wl thnk u r slop-p.

Ophie --- and they have andesite! Subduction zone volcanoes, never seen one. I live on the Coastal Plain of Virginia, on the worlds largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay. Here's a map: http://www.holoscenes.com/cgi-bin/img.cgi?w=1024&h=767&src=/maps/chesapeake.jpg See the word "Norfolk"? See how the land above it is shaped in an arc? Expand that arc into a circle and you will see the buried rim of the Chesapeake Bay Impact Crater. It is 400' down, and is covered with many layers of strata, but because it is lower than all the surrounding terrain, it allowed the formation of the bay. If you like history, come visit Williamsburg, Jamestown, and don't forget Yorktown - especially you Brits. Ironic that British colonial rule of America began at Jamestown and ended at Yorktown, less than 20 miles away. Seriously - this is a lovely part of the world, especially for people who like boating or sailing. However, I would truly like to travel more - Bloodhound - I cannot imagine Everest - an anthill could be mistaken for a mountain in these parts. Next...?

From an early age, I have been fascinated by science, and this has led me to develop an interest in the biochemical sciences. My A-level studies have given me a strong foundation on the basics of chemistry and biology. The particular aspects of the biology course that I have found most interesting is (should be are "aspects ... are" ) genetics and the immune system, and by studying a biomedical degree I will be able to explore these in more detail. I would love not a good verb for this situation - how about "benefit from"? the course, as it is a strong combination of intense theoretical and practical science. The course will be an intellectual challenge and will develop my critical thinking as well as my ability to apply my theoretical knowledge. I am especially looking forward to interested in learning more about genetics and molecular cell biology. I take every opportunity available to carry out experiments, as I take great pleasure in testing my hypothesis and analysing and evaluating results. On what do you perform experiments.... the cat? Sorry, I don't care for that choice of words. The most interesting part of my A-level chemistry course has been studying environmental chemistry and organic chemistry, as I understood more about the chemistry taking place in our natural surroundings. If you are interested in environmental and organic chemistry, look through the findings at this google page: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=hyperthermophiles&spell=1 - these are amazing critters. If I was starting over, this is where I'd want to be. Colonies of these organisms have been found not only at deep sea vents, but also thousands of feet deep in the earth in gold mines. They are "chemosynthetic" - they metabolize various chemicals and are not dependent on photosynthesis. I believe that there will be a great future in bioremediation and that the backbone of it will be finding organisms that turn toxic substances into harmless ones, or genetically engineering organisms to do so. Good luck, and hope this helps.

You know, the problem here is that we are comparing apples and oranges. A human uses its intelligence to solve human problems, dolphins and other animals use their intelligence to solve their particular sets of problems. Yes, the lack of hands limit their ability to use tools - the lack of tools limit their ability to construct objects. I think it is arrogant of us to try to teach them to understand our language. I think we'd get a lot farther if we attempted to learn theirs. Doubtless they regard us as dangerous bumbling idiots that set off depth charges and other underwater explosions that deafen them and destroy their echolocation abilities. And I am not a "PETA" person either - I just believe you can learn more by listening and observation than by talking.

I know that bullies like to do their dirty work when they can catch you alone. However, I've often thought that an effective defense would have a group of people who have been bullied to get together and agree to go to the aid of one another. If other people see the bullying going on and they all come to the aid of the bullee (is that a word?) he would soon learn to change his ways. Wouldn't it be cool if a whole bunch of people carried a signaling device in their pockets that would send a vibrating signal to others in the group. Without any screams for help a bunch of folks suddenly come from nowhere and surround the bully, and say, "Are you quite sure you want to continue this activity?"

Do you live in an area where there are deer/black legged ticks? They carry Lyme Disease. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/diagnosis.htm I knew a person who contracted this - he didn't remember getting bitten by a tick, but the ticks that carry the disease are tiny. By the way - pet owners - Lyme disease infects dogs too.

I just re-read what you wrote. You said he had a rubber band gun - was it "his" rubber band that you grabbed, or were several of you having a rubber band fight? I think there is a difference if you just happened to drop a rubber band on the floor and he decided he wanted it as opposed to him having the only gun and shooting at you, or several of you having guns and shooting at each other. In the first case - he was certainly bullying, in the second case he saw it as "his" rubber band and wanted it back, even though he had been tormenting you with it, in the third case, "all's fair in love and war". If it was case 2 and you grabbed it to stop him from shooting you again, when he grabbed your wrist you could have stepped on his arm, hard, and said "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, when you grabbed my wrist I lost my balance." Or you could have stood up suddenly and butted him under the chin - it would have hurt your head, but it would hurt his chin worse and might have knocked his lights out. Again, you could claim it was accidental - you were losing your balance and stood to keep from falling over. In either case, he would have learned that bullying can end with painful results, and you wouldn't have gotten in trouble because it was clearly an accident on your part. The fact that he was friendly after you gave him the band might indicate he is friendless but doesn't know how to appropriately interact with people. In which case, you might have positive results by starting a friendly conversation with him on the rare occasions that he is not being an a$$ and ignoring him at all other times.

Did you read about the dolphins that were trained to detect mines? My company built the "pinger housings" that trained them. They removed the live charges from the mines and inserted a device that gave off a certain signal. The dolphins were trained to locate the device by the signal and then to identify it by echo location and sight. Later, the signaling devices were removed, and a field of mines was placed in specific locations without the devices. When the dolphin located the mine, he surfaced and indicated the location with flipper and particular noises. One dolphin came up and gave the signal, but no mine had been placed in that location, so the dolphin was not given a reward and told to go back and try again. It returned several times, and its signals became more and more emphatic. Finally a diver was sent to investigate - it had found a mine left over from WW2. The point is, that it knew it had found what it was looking for, and it was not going to give up, whether it got a fish or not. I think that indicates a pretty high degree of intelligence.

The fleas leave the body as soon as it dies. My cat caught a rabbit and I rescued it - a few minutes later, it gave a gasp and died. Within seconds, fleas were crawling out of its fur all over my hands - it was totally gross. I guess the heart has to be pumping for them to feed. I do know that cat or dog fleas will bite some people before they bite others. They love the taste of my blood. My parents had cats and went on vacation - they boarded the cats, but I was supposed to go in every few days and check on the house. I was wearing white slacks and I looked down and there were little black specs on them, and they were moving. I sprayed my pants legs, but within a few minutes, I felt that I was being eaten alive. They had gotten under my clothes and were chewing away - especially around the waistband of my clothes. Fleas may prefer a particular species, but they'll apparantly feed on anything warm blooded if push comes to shove.

Was the flea still the intermediate host or was it spread directly from person to person?

I have seen schools of wild dolphins close at hand while cruising in the boat. They love to surf down the wake, then will veer off, swim like hell to catch up, and do it again. My husband used to water ski and had one catch the handle of the ski rope after he had fallen off. It apparently just wanted to play - he had a tug of war with it before it gave it back. I don't know whether they are smart or stupid because of it, but they do seem to seek interaction with people.

Many mammals of the Pleistocene were gigantic compared with modern species - what factors existed in their environment that allowed them to attain such huge proportions that are not present today?