Weird - Wacky - Funny News

[al70]

it has to go somewhere.

it has to go somewhere.

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Einstein’s 100-year-old general theory of relativity predicted that light from stars would be stretched to longer wavelengths by the extreme gravitational field of a black hole, and the star would appear redder, an effect known as gravitational red shift.

“This was the first time we could test directly Einstein’s theory of general relativity near a supermassive black hole,” Frank Eisenhauer, senior astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, told journalists.

“At the time of Einstein, he could not think or dream of what we are showing today,” he said.

A team of scientists at the European Southern Observatory started monitoring the central area of the Milky Way using its Very Large Telescope to observe the motion of stars near the supermassive black hole 26 years ago.

The black hole is 26,000 light years away from Earth and has a mass 4 million times that of the Sun.

The scientists selected one star, S2, to follow. With an orbit of 16 years, they knew it would return close to the black hole in 2018.

Over 20 years, the accuracy of their instruments has improved and so in May 2018, they were able to take extremely precise measurements in conjunction with scientists from around the world.

This showed the star’s orbital velocity increasing to more than 25 million kph (15.5 million mph) as it approached the black hole.

The star’s wavelength stretched as it sought to escape the gravitational pull of the supermassive black hole, shifting its appearance from blue to red, Odele Straub from the Paris Observatory said.

The scientists now hope to observe other theories of black hole physics, she said.

“This is the first step on a long road that the team has done over many years and which we hope to continue in the next years,” MPE’s Reinhard Genzel, who led the international team, said.


Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...-supermassive-black-hole-theory-idUSKBN1KG28G


RM

it baffles me, i just can't grasp it ..

 

[Robrites]

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

To Combat Rhino Poaching, Dogs Are Giving South African Park Rangers A Crucial Assist

To Combat Rhino Poaching, Dogs Are Giving South African Park Rangers A Crucial Assist

Ruben de Kock has been training South Africa's park rangers for over two decades — but last month was the first time one of his former students was killed on the job.

The July 19 incident, in which 34-year-old Respect Mathebula died in a shootout, marks the first instance in 50 years of a ranger being killed by poachers in Kruger National Park. Yet given the intensity of rhinoceros poaching in the region, the milestone is as surprising as it is tragic.

Home to roughly 80 percent of the world's rhino population, South Africa has seen poaching explode over the past decade. In 2007, 13 rhinos were killed by poachers. Last year, that number was 1,028 — down from a peak of 1,215 three years earlier, according to TRAFFIC, a monitoring network for wildlife trade. African rhinos include the near-threatened white rhino and critically endangered black rhino species.

The escalating aggression of poachers — who are widely reported to be connected to criminal syndicates in Asia, where rhino horn, valued for its purported medicinal qualities, trades on the black market for tens of thousands of dollars per pound — means rangers face greater risks in the field, says de Kock, who oversees ranger training at South Africa's Southern African Wildlife College.

"They don't respond like the guys did 20 years ago by dropping their firearms, raising their arms, and going, 'Oh sorry, you've got me,'" he says. "These guys fight."

To combat rhino poaching, rangers have a bevy of sophisticated resources at their command, ranging from thermal-imaging cameras to aircraft. But one of the most effective is strikingly low-tech: dogs.

Canine units were introduced into South African national parks in 2012. For security reasons, the park service will not disclose how many canine units currently operate in the parks system, but does report that the dogs now assist in 80 percent of arrests — a figure that earns them distinction as "the most significant technology currently in the anti-poaching campaign," according to South African National Parks spokesperson Isaac Phaahla.

Certain breeds are used for different tasks, says the college's K-9 manager, Johan van Straaten. Malinois, Labradors and spaniels comprise the detection team, sniffing out illicit materials — like elephant tusks, rhino horns and pangolins — during vehicle searches and poacher apprehensions. Doberman-bloodhound mixes are the "on-line trackers," part of a specialized team that works with human handlers to track down poachers in the park.

"Since we use dogs, the guys can't hide from us anymore," van Straaten says. No matter the breed, he says the most important qualification is that "the dogs have it in their DNA to track."

Of all the teams, the real game-changer has been the "high-speed" tracking dogs, says de Kock. This is a specialized unit of pack dogs trained to run down poachers in the bush, while rangers follow from above in helicopters. De Kock says the team has been so effective in poacher apprehensions that the college has had to take additional security measures to protect the dogs from potential poacher attacks.

Some reports cite the dogs as contributing to last year's 24 percent drop in rhino poaching in Kruger National Park, typically a poaching hot spot due to its size — more than 7,500 square miles — and substantial rhino population. Others, however, highlight how the heightened security measures in Kruger have simply coincided with increased poaching in more vulnerable parks in other provinces.

Despite the risks of the work, young South Africans are still stepping up to become rangers. At the wildlife college run by De Kock, 700 candidates applied for 120 seats after a government program supplied funding for ranger training in 2011. Nearly all the students' fees are paid by the government — and half the country's rangers are alumni.

And while ranger positions do provide jobs, much of the motivation among students stems from a commitment to conservation and the desire to protect rhinos.

Lethabo Makhuba, 27, grew up in the Limpopo province just west of Kruger National Park. Seeing the northern white rhinos reach the brink of extinction earlier this year was what finally pushed her to enlist, she tells NPR. She fears a similar fate is in store for South Africa's rhinos if counter-poaching efforts fall short.

"We will only be left with the picture, not the real animal," she said. "Our children, grandchildren — they have to see it as well."


Source: https://www.npr.org/2018/07/31/633980885/to-combat-rhino-poaching-dogs-are-giving-south-african-park-rangers-a-crucial-as


RMS

 

[Robrites]

 

[Robrites]

 

[Gry]

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When I look at the dead Whales on the beach, I can't help but admire how close they remain to each other even death.

 

[Robrites]

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

Deadly parasite discovered in Chinese family shows you should never eat raw centipede

Deadly parasite discovered in Chinese family shows you should never eat raw centipede

Centipedes mean business. They can slay animals 15 times their size, even devour whole snakes if they want.

But the true horror of the centipede may be something else, hiding unseen inside their many-legged forms: a dangerous parasite, which scientists say has never been observed in these segmented critters – until now.

The stowaway in question is the parasitic roundworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis – aka 'rat lungworm' – a food-borne parasite typically found in snails and other mollusks, which has now for the first time been detected in centipedes too.

As for the strange reason we know this? It starts with headaches.

A 78-year-old woman was admitted to Zhujiang Hospital in the Chinese city of Guangzhou, saying she'd experienced headaches, drowsiness, and cognitive impairment for weeks, although she had no other signs of illness, such as fever or vomiting.

Subsequent examination suggested symptoms of meningitis, but not a viral or bacterial cause for the condition. Her cerebrospinal fluid did however indicate traces of antibodies against the rat lungworm, indicating a diagnosis of A. cantonensis eosinophilic meningitis.

What was unusual was how she'd presumably contracted it: by eating raw centipedes.

While centipedes aren't a common foodstuff for most of us, dried or crushed centipedes have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries (usually consumed in powder form), and live, wild specimens are sold in some Chinese agricultural markets.

In this case, the lady's son had served the fresh produce variety to his elderly mother – and uncooked.

If that sounds unreasonable, don't be too hard on him: he himself turned up at the hospital only a few weeks later, presenting the same symptoms, having shared in the meal.

"We don't typically hear of people eating raw centipedes, but apparently these two patients believed that raw centipedes would be good for their health," says the treating physician, neurologist Lingli Lu from Zhujiang Hospital.

"Instead it made them sick."

Fortunately for mother and son, both patients were ultimately treated successfully with a course of anti-parasitic drugs that rid them of their A. cantonensis infection.

But they were lucky. Cases of Angiostrongyliasis, the infection caused by the roundworm, can cause permanent damage to the central nervous system, and are sometimes fatal.

As for why the pair consumed their centipedes uncooked, according to Lu, the son had been told that eating the arthropods raw could prevent winter colds.

It's not immediately clear if these Chinese marketplaces sell the venomous animals to be consumed raw, or if they're merely offered fresh, so consumers can later boil, pickle, or otherwise cook them.

In any case, Lu says as a matter of courtesy, serving suggestions are not dictated to shoppers at the live centipede stall.

"In my opinion, it would be rude to tell the customer, 'Don't eat them raw,'" Lu told The New York Times.

"It would say the customer is stupid."

To confirm their raw centipede hypothesis, Lu and fellow researchers tracked down the same marketplace the son had previously visited, and subsequent testing revealed seven out of 20 centipedes purchased tested positive for rat lungworm.

So, if you're thinking about serving up raw centipedes for dinner – whether for reasons of immunity boosting, or exotic cuisine – the science is clear.

"Centipedes can act as a transport host of A. cantonensis," Lu told Infectious Disease News.

"We should not eat raw centipedes, as well as other raw animals. We should realise that proper cooking technique is important to protect us from food-borne diseases."


Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/deadly-parasite-lurking-chinese-family-never-eat-raw-centipedes-rat-lungworm-angiostrongylus-cantonensis


RMS

 

[Rocky Mtn Squid]

A Man in Wisconsin Needed His Hands And Legs Amputated, All Because a Dog Licked Him

A Man in Wisconsin Needed His Hands And Legs Amputated, All Because a Dog Licked Him

Greg Manteufel's symptoms began with fever and vomiting, as if he had the flu. But by the following morning, he was delirious, and his temperature had soared.

His wife rushed him to the hospital, a quick drive from their Wisconsin home.

Once they arrived, Dawn Manteufel said she noticed bruises - several of them, all over his body - that weren't there when they left their house just five minutes earlier. To Dawn, it was as if her husband had just been beaten with a baseball bat.

Within a week at the hospital, the 48-year-old who paints houses for a living and loves to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle lost his legs. And then his hands.

Greg Manteufel suffered a rare blood infection after harmful bacteria from a dog's saliva seeped into his bloodstream, causing sepsis, or blood poisoning from bacteria.

The sepsis resulted in blood spots that looked like bruises all over his body, particularly on his chest and face. Doctors pumped him with antibiotics to stop the infection, his wife said, but clots blocked the flow of blood to his extremities, causing tissue and muscles to die.

The bacteria, called Capnocytophaga canimorsus, "just attacked him," Dawn said, and it did so quickly and aggressively. To save his life, doctors had to cut his legs from the knee down, and then his hands.

"Why him? Why did this happen to us?" Dawn asked.

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a bacteria commonly found in dogs and cats. It's present in the saliva of most healthy dogs and is usually not harmful to humans. But in rare cases, the bacteria can poison the blood and cause death.

Dawn Manteufel said doctors told them her husband's case is not common but more like a "crazy fluke".

She said she doesn't know which dog was carrying the bacteria that attacked her husband. About the time he got sick, he had been around eight dogs, including one that belongs to the couple. The bacteria could have come from any of those dogs that licked him, Dawn said.

"He loves dogs. He would touch any dog; he doesn't care," she said of her husband of 15 years.

Greg Manteufel has been at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee for about a month.

By late morning Tuesday, several doctors had gathered around his hospital bed, checking his vital signs and asking him questions, as he lay with his thighs propped up by a pillow, his wife told The Washington Post.

He had just undergone a surgery to remove dead tissue and muscle from what is left of his lower extremities. This week, he will have two more, again to clean up dead tissue.

He's in good spirits, his wife said, aware of what he has lost but at peace that he must now live an entirely different life, sitting in a power wheelchair.

"He told the doctors, 'Do what you have to do to keep me alive,' " Dawn Manteufel said.

"There's no negativity from him so far . . . He said, 'It is what it is, so we have to move forward.' "

First, he must move back in with his parents, at least temporarily, because theirs is a one-level home where he can move around easily. Then his wife will sell their house in West Bend, just north of Milwaukee, so they can buy a one-story house.

He can no longer ride his Harley, or drive his stick-shift truck, or paint houses.

His days in the hospital are also far from over. He may have to go through a reconstruction surgery for his nose, his wife said, because lack of blood flow caused it to turn black.

Prosthetic limbs and more treatment at a rehabilitation center still await him. A GoFundMe campaign has raised nearly US$30,000 as of Wednesday.

"There's no choice. We have no choice but to be positive and make the best of it," said Dawn Manteufel, who had used all her vacation days from her job as a correctional officer at Washington County Jail in West Bend.

Capnocytophaga canimorsus is commonly transmitted by dog bites and is usually life-threatening to people who suffer from alcoholism or are asplenic, meaning their spleens don't function normally. Symptoms typically worsen rapidly.

A case report published by the peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ recounted the story of an elderly woman who may have been licked by her household pet and later suffered sepsis and organ failure.

The woman recovered after two weeks in an intensive-care unit, says the report, which aptly called the sepsis-causing bacteria the "lick of death."


Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/dog-saliva-caused-this-man-to-have-to-have-is-legs-and-hands-amputated?perpetual=yes&limitstart=1


RMS

 

[Robrites]

 

[Snook]

I just posted this in the 'Medical' section... They say here: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/01/molson-coors-makes-cannabis-infused-beverage-deal-in-canada.html,
that Molson/Coors is going to make cannabis infused beer soon in Canada.

You all up there: is there any truth to this?


Soon ?, wine w bud (not Budweiser) that should do it right nice

maybe it should be here in this section.. so, here.

 

[Only Ornamental]

...
Capnocytophaga canimorsus is a bacteria commonly found in dogs and cats...

It most certainly was a cat! Had to be a cat cause a dog wouldn't do such a terrible thing! A cat on the other hand...
Poor fella!!! ;(

 

[Robrites]

 

[Robrites]

 

[Robrites]

 

[Robrites]

 

[Robrites]

 

[Robrites]

 

[Robrites]

 

[Stoner4Life]

Sexy (probably drunk) mom humiliates teen son by dancing on JumboTron @ Padres game.......

great youtube clip

[YOUTUBEIF]6lizJ0833tU[/YOUTUBEIF]