UnSpace

Male swift long-wing skimmer, 3/4 view.
Click on the photograph for a larger version.

Male swift long-wing skimmer, front view.
Click on the photograph for a larger version.

Male swift long-wing skimmer, side view.
Click on the photograph for a larger version.

Female swift long-wing skimmer, side view.
Click on the photograph for a larger version.

To the left are four photographs of dragonflies that are hanging out around our backyard ponds. These photos are of two individuals — the first three are of a male, the next of a female.

I based the original identification of the first individual as swift long-wing skimmers (Pachydiplax longipennis) on photo 349 and page 375 of the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. Perusing the What's That Bug? web site under dragonflies, I found a similar insect with the name "blue dasher." Checking the scientific name, I found that "swift long-wing skimmer" and "blue dasher" were the same insect. Other dragonflies indicated the sexual dimorphism might make the individual in the last photograph a female. Checking with a site on dragonfly wing patterns and another site on dragonflies starting here and following the photographs, I concluded they were both mature members of the long-wing skimmer/ blue dasher variety, with the latter individual being female. I found the last two web sites using "blue dasher dragonfly" as the search term in Google (without the quote marks).

If you click on the photographs, you'll get an enlarged version of the image. Yes, I'm proud of these photos! Taking these photographs was difficult. I learned that the automatic focus would not lock reliably onto the dead twigs these insects predictably perched on. By turning off the autofocus and "bracketing" the photos with slight adjustments to the focus, I found I was able to get a number of photos of these dragonflies. About one photo in 5 is perfectly focused. By bracketing the focus, I found that I was usually able to get a better focus than my first guess.

Taking these photos required I stand at awkward angles. My back now hurts. I think I'm going to go take some Aleve and go get dinner. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I did taking them.

Note: These photographs are copyright by Rob of UnSpace. If you're with the "What's that Bug?" web site, I've written several e-mails in an attempt to offer these photographs for use on your site as long as I get a "thanks" for them. Your spam filter appears to not like me and has rejected the e-mails. Please e-mail me with any questions.

The Seattle Times has an important article about the local Muslim condemnation of the Muslim who killed one and wounded five at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.

I don't have much to add to the story. The only reason I'm posting it is that when the USA was attacked on 9/11/2001 and when other incidents happen, the question is always asked "Why aren't the Muslims condemning this?" They do, but they don't tend to get much press. I don't know if it's a deliberate bias in the media, just that the stories don't get much play, or what.

But most American Muslims are the same as everyone else. When a Christian walks into some place and starts shooting it up, no one asks "Why aren't the Christians condemning this?" Everyone knows that the vast majority of Christians don't approve of folks like this. When a couple Jewish people planned on targeting Muslims and were arrested, no one asked "Why don't the Jews condemn this?" They do.

It's the same for the Muslims. I find, as did C.S. Lewis, that among my Muslim, Christian and Jewish friends, I have a lot in common. WHen I see them attacked and blamed for things they do not believe nor agree with, I get frustrated.

I'm hoping that, by linking to the article, I can help folks move away from the stereotypes and the emotional reactions.

The other day, I was doing my usual "dial flipping" when I came across this song on one of the "lite rock" type stations (I'm not sure which one). I found the lyrics at Only Lyrics. I thought some of my readers might be as interested in picking up the CD as I am, so I decided to reprint the lyrics here. Mercy Me is a tight rock group with good instrumentation and vocals. I think you'll like it.

Maybe I'm hoping it might even start a discussion!

So Long Self
performed by Mercy Me

Well if I come across a little bit distant
It's just because I am
Things just seem to feel a little bit different
You understand

Believe it or not but life is not apparently
About me anyways
But I have met the One who really is worthy
So let me say

Chorus:
So long self
Well it's been fun, but I have found somebody else
So long self
There's just no room for two
So you are gonna have to move
So long self
Don't take this wrong but you are wrong for me farewell
Oh well, Goodbye, don't cry
So Long Self

Stop right there because I know what your thinking
But no we can't be friends
And even though I know your heart is breaking
This has to end

And come to think of it the blame for all of this
Simply falls on me
For wanting something more in life than all of this
Oh, can't you see

Chorus:

(4x’s)
Farewell, Goodbye
Oh so long self

Every once in a while, the question "What insect is that?" comes up. Sometimes Nancy will come in from the backyard, having seen something bizarre on one of our plants. A neighbor might come over with some insect in a jar. On occasion, a blog will ask the question.

Our home library has most of the National Audubon Society Field Guides for North America, and I recommend all of them. I also recommend keeping your parrots from chewing on the covers, but that might not be necessary for everyone. In this case, the two best books are the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders and the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Butterflies (it includes moths, in case you're wondering).

With those two books, it's easy to find the general shape of whatever insect or arachnid you're trying to identify (arachnids have 8 legs, as any Spider-Man fan knows). The insects, spiders, butterflies, and moths also tend to be arranged by color, which helps.

These books can often provide a positive identification, but when they can only narrow it down to a particular group of insects or when they don't seem to have the insect at all, Nancy and I turn to a wonderful and aptly named web site, What's That Bug?

One of the reasons we go there second is that, in looking through the National Audubon Society books, we can figure out what kind of bug it is. This lets us home in on the lists in the left-hand column of the front page of the web site. Alternatively, picking out some key words (gleened from the NAS books) might direct you to the insect. Failing that, the author of the web site does take questions. Obviously, a photo of the creature is most helpful. Verbal descriptions would need to be exacting. One particular item currently on the front page of What's That Bug? illustrates the point (which is probably why the letter from 2003 is still on the front page):

Not Much Help to the Helpless
(10/7/2003) HELP!!!
Help I have a spider and i want to idenify it! i need to know it's Family Scientfic name and its order!!
Please help1!!
helpless child

Dear Helpless,
Give me something to go on. Please send a photo attachment or a description and a location.

Editor's Note: Here at What's That Bug? we make every attempt to identify your mystery visitors, but we need information. In the event that you don't have a photo, please try to provide a description including where the creature was spotted, when, if it was on a specific plant, and please include your geographic location.

Note that geographic location and specific plant are helpful items, although the latter won't work if the bug is not on a plant. Still, as moths tend to congregate near lights and some biting creatures tend to attach themselves to humans, even mentioning non-plant locations might just help. Photographs are clearly the best resource in identifying these things, though.

Note: If the insect, spider, or other creature is biting you, stop it from doing that. Do not look the thing up in the book while it continues to envenomate you. A sharp smack should kill it while leaving enough to help the nice folks in the Emergency Room identify it, should you develop breathing problems, a fast heart rate, a changed mental status, feel funny, or the tissue near where you were bitten start to die. Learning the particular nasties in your area is a good idea, as it will keep you from going near them when you see them and, if you are bitten, help speed treatment in the E.R.

Note: This article is categorized under "Blogs and Webs" because it discusses another web site. I wasn't going for the spider-pun.

Ask for this great Deliverer now, and find him
Eyeless in Gaza, at the mill with slaves,
Himself in bonds under Philistian yoke.
Yet stay; let me not rashly call in doubt
Divine prediction. What if all foretold
Had been fulfilled but through mine own default?

– "Samson Agonistes" by John Milton, lines 40-45

On July 28th, 2006, the police arrested Mel Gibson on suspicion of drunk driving. Gibson, not uncommon for intoxicated individuals, acted beligerantly. Hancuffed and in the police car, Gibson began a tirade:

The report says Gibson then launched into a barrage of anti-Semitic statements: "F*****g Jews… The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Gibson then asked the deputy, "Are you a Jew?" (source)

Many news sources skipped the horrid and disgusting nature of Mel Gibson's remarks that Gibson himself referred to as "despicable" in his public apology. News articles question whether Gibson's career will survive.

Mel Gibson was taught to hate Jews from an early age. Gibson's father is notorious for his view that the changes from Vatican II onward in the Catholic Church are due to "Jews and Masons," and even calling Pope John Paul II "Garrulous Karolus the Qur'an Kisser." This was the man that raised Mel Gibson, who was influential in bringing him up, and who, for all of his faults, Gibson still loves.

Publicly (and when sober) Gibson repudiated the things he was taught as a child:

Gibson said: "If anyone has distorted Gospel passages to rationalize cruelty towards Jews or anyone, it's in defiance of repeated papal condemnation. The Papacy has condemned racism in any form," and, "Jesus died for the sins of all times, and I'll be the first on the line for culpability." (source)

I would like to take Mr. Gibson at his word when he says he recognizes racism in any form is anti-Christ, but with this incident, it's obvious that this is a problem area for him. With the first personal demon of alcohol in control, Gibson was unable to stop his second personal demon, a hatred of Jews. Sober, Gibson finds his reputation, his career, and his future in danger. Eyeless in Gaza, he is there through his "own default."

The damage is extensive. He attempted to deny that The Passion of the Christ was aimed to inspire hatred of the Jews. Many tried to warn him that, in basing his movie on the writings of the noted anti-semitic nun, the "Blessed" Anne Catherine Emmerich, he was corrupting the message of the Gospel and acting as a stumbling block to any Jewish person who might wish to see the movie. Was the movie's racism a subconscious result, something Gibson could not see, or was it more of a lack of awareness of the meaning of the things he was doing, a result of (as the feminists say in a similar context) not having his consciousness sufficiently raised? I would like to think that it was not overt hatred that caused Gibson to include those things in the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Now that this drunk driving incident has occurred, can anyone ever watch that movie again and not see the anti-semitic elements? I doubt it.¹ Gibson has forever tarnished his greatest work. What must that mean to the man? The movie, and Christianity in general, have been tarred with the brush that struck Mel Gibson. No matter what he does from here on out, he will have to live with that.

I wish Mr. Gibson the best as he fights his battles. I hope he wins his battle against the chemical that poisons his mind and the hatred that poisons his heart. Samson's redemption came at the cost of his life. What Mel Gibson will have to do to redeem himself, I do not know.

1. I have never seen The Passion of the Christ. As a paramedic, I find fake blood hysterical. Somehow, even when animal blood is used in movies, it looks wrong and provokes inappropriate giggling in me. The possibility of bursting into laughter during a film about the suffering of my Savior never appealed to me. I considered buying myself a DVD of the film to watch in private, but between the unintended humor and what I'd read about the portrayal of the Jews, I decided to not bother. [back]

Have you ever made tacos at home? When you go to fill them up, the tacos tip over, and a lot of filling (meat, lettuce, cheese, sauce, olives, sour cream, chilies, jalapeno pepper slices, bananas, whatever) falls out. They do make flat bottomed tacos, but they're more expensive. Instead, I bought a wonderful little gadget that solves the problem!

I think it's cool, but I can't help but wonder if this post is in competition for the "Most Useless Post Ever" award.

Taco Holder in the 2 taco configuration

Most technological gadgets come either with an incomprehensible manual or no manual at all. The taco holders were the latter; there were no instructions. After much debate, Nancy and I (both with engineering background) decided that the taco holders were designed to hold two tacos. The little "feet" on the ends were what caused us to decide the taco holders are designed for three.

Taco Holder in the 3 taco configuration.

Turned upside down, the taco holder can clearly hold 3 tacos. Of course, in this conformation, the feet no longer provide stability. We decided that the taco holder might just be usable instead of plates, if you center the tacos and you're not eating outside on a windy day. But Nancy and I eat our tacos in the house, and ingredients dripping out the ends of the taco would create even more work tha we already have to do because of the parrots. Although, as I think about it, the parrots would eliminate a bit of that problem. Parrots can function like dogs on occasion if you give them floor-roaming privilieges.

But we use plates, and if the taco holder in the 3 taco configuration tips, the tacos will stop it from falling further. Hence, we generally use the taco holder in the 3 taco position.

Taco Holder holding 3 daco shells.

We had tacos for dinner last night. To help with our diets, we use ultra-lean meat, limit the cheese, use a lot of lettuce, and that sort of thing. Here you can see the tacos ready to be filled. If you notice, the taco holder is, in fact, in the 3 taco position, holding 3 tacos.

The holders came in a pack of four, with 4 different colors: red, green, yellow, and purple. I like garish colors, and so pickd the red. Nancy chose the yellow.

Taco Holder holding 3 filled tacos.

Here we have the filled tacos on my plate. You'll notice the tacos are quite stable, even using the taco holder in the less-stable configuration. The tacos were delicious, even if I didn't add sour cream, chilies, olives, jalapeno peppers, or bananas.

I'm kidding about the bananas, by the way. The other items might actually get added to a taco.

If, by any chance, you see a competition for the "Most Useless Post Ever," I would appreciate a nomination.

When I was walking in Memphis,
I was walking with my feet
Ten feet off of Beale.
Walking in Memphis…
But do I really feel the way I feel?

Today, while grocery shopping, this song came up on the radio. It's the song the Cher impersonator sings at the end of The Post-Modern Prometheus, my favorite X-Files show. I haven't been able to get the song out of my head.

Maybe I want to ask the Writer to change the ending of the story.

For Blogathon 2006, I'm sponsoring Random Bird, who's blogging for NAMI, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.

She has to blog every half hour for 24 hours. I couldn't do it, so I'm supporting her instead. She's tackling her own mental illness (among other things) in her blog posts. As someone who suffers from depression and anxiety, I have an unfortunate personal interest in some of the discussion.

Random Bird's posts start here. You can read on from there.

Good luck, kid!

According to Media Matters, Ann Coulter accused Bill Clinton of latent homosexuality and Al Gore of being a "total [derogatory word for homosexual male]. Jay Leno, in joking about Coulter's comments last night, mentioned her "bobbing Adam's apple."

Oh, come on people! Grow up.

First, it doesn't matter if Coulter is a transexual or a woman with a predominant larynx or a mutant or bitten by a radioactive spider. I don't even know if it is prominent. I've never seen her on TV, and I can't be bothered to seek her out. She is who she is, and that has nothing to do with what she says.

Next, Coulter's "diagnosis" of Clinton as latently gay and of Al Gore as homosexual are simply nonsense that she spouts. She is merely using her accusations as a way of discounting what these people have to say — much as those who claim Coulter is a transexual are attempting to do to her. Ideas need to be evaluated on their own merits, not on the sexuality of the person holding them. Her wild, unsupported statements are aimed at the extreme right. Any reasonable individual would not believe her and actually wouldn't care if her spoutings are true or not.

As you'll notice, Coulter's getting attention. That's her schtick. If she didn't say outrageous things, no one would pay attention to her.

Yes, I recognize the irony that I'm talking about Coulter. But I figure that, if I point out the nonsense a couple times, the meme that Coulter is simply manipulating liberals will catch on and the right, middle, left, and far left will learn to ignore her nonsense and see how little actual substance is in her writings and speeches.

I thought I'd try the "Friday Feast (#104)." Michelle and Paperback Writer convinced me to try it.

Appetizer
What's the funniest dream you can remember having?

I don't tend to have humorous dreams. I have dreams where I die and the dream keeps going, like nothing important just happened, which I find annoying. But every once in a while, I have dreams that I'm back working for Pittsburgh EMS as a paramedic. After a while, in the dreams, I started thinking things like "I keep winding up working here, don't I?" and "I bet this really honks off the Asst. Chief!" That's about as humorous as it gets.

On the other hand, I get hi-res graphics dreams that are spectacular. I wish I could record them.

Soup
If you were a dog, what breed would you be, and why?

A rescue dog.

Salad
Continue this sentence: "I get confused when…"

…I attempt to much multi-tasking and get the data crossed. Watching TV, talking on the phone, working on the computer, reading a comic book and playing with a parrot can result in some bizarre confusion.

Main Course
Name two things that need to be done, but you are procrastinating in completing.

• Straightening up the garage.
• Finish a book I'm writing.

Dessert
When was the last time you tried something new, and what was it?

Right now: I'm trying the Friday Feast! I have a low boredom threshold. Not trying something new would be new.

Instead of blogging, I spent the morning eating breakfast and reading What Would Wally Do?: A Dilbert Treasury. You can imagine my confusion when the first article I pulled up on the Internet was "NASA mulls mothballing US space station research":

NASA is considering shutting down all the research programs it conducts aboard the International Space Station for at least a year to fill a projected budget shortfall of up to $100 million, a top station manager said on Thursday.

I hope I am simply over-Dilberted and I'm hallucinating this. Stop all research on the International Space Station to save money? Uh, hello? Why have a space station if you're not going to do research?

Or is that the problem? Do they want to stop the research? The International Space Station is a great place to study the Earth's atmosphere from:

NASA has reportedly eliminated the promise "to understand and protect our home planet" from its mission statement.

That statement was repeatedly cited last winter by NASA climate scientist James Hansen, who said he was being threatened by political appointees for speaking about the dangers posed by greenhouse gas emissions. (source)

What do you do with a space station where no one does research? Maybe they should fund the research by hosting travellers at the space station who wish to join the 250 Mile High Club.¹

I think the 250 Mile High Club would make the ISS a popular tourist destination, even more popular than the proposed "Take a Walk in Space" trip.

Initially, I disregarded a recent report, suggesting NASA stop all work on the Crew Exploration Vehicle (also known as "Apollo on Steroids) and the accompanying Crew Launch Vehicle. The idea would be to force private contractors to develop these vehicles for the private space industry and have NASA buy the resultant vehicles from them.

But if they're going to stop all research at the ISS for a year, then NASA, the organization that took humans to the Moon, might be beyond redemption. Government funding of private industry might give us a better shot at developing space.

Either that or perhaps those of us interested in space exploration should start taking language classes in Chineese.

1. There's a strange omission from the article. Dolphins mate in "zero g" all the time with no problems, although to compensate for the weightlessness in the water, they mate in groups of three. Just when the astronauts and cosmonauts of the ISS thought their researchless jobs couldn't get any worse…. [back]

One of the stupidest controversies I have ever seen is now occurring due to the August 2006 cover of Babytalk Magazine. The cover shows a baby nursing on a breast. At least the magazine publisher claims it's a breast. I think it looks more like the fleshy part of an upper arm. Still, this is enough to get people upset.

Yeesh.

One mother, to protect her 13 year-old son, said:

"I shredded it," said Gayle Ash, of Belton, Texas, in a telephone interview. "A breast is a breast — it's a sexual thing. He didn't need to see that."

I'll skip all the jokes about what the 13 year-old has almost certainly already seen on the Internet, on cable, in much more sexual magazines, and quite probably live. Seeing a baby breastfeeding would be likely to do the kid some good.

Breast fetish is so overblown in the United States specifically because we hide the natural uses of the human breast, treating breastfeeding as vulgar and something to be hidden in a dirty bathroom, while overinflated breasts are jammed down the public's throats by advertisers.

The advantages to the mother and child of breastfeeding are many, but until Americans grow up and start acting like adults, the medical community is going to have to work overtime encouraging mothers to breastfeed their children.

Update: Rachel at Women's Health News has a good post on the breastfeeding "controversy" as well.

Today, on the Scientific American Blog, I was reading about the Reverend Pat Robertson interviewing U.S. Senator James Inhofe on the 700 Club.

At one point, Inhofe states:

All of the science since 1999 has repudiated the idea that global warming caused by man-made gases — that’s methane and Co2- - is causing a global warming, and the end of the world is coming, and the icecap is going to melt and all these things. But what they don’t realize– and what they won’t tell you — is that it was far warmer on the icecap in the 1930s and 1940s than it is today.

Anyone with the least interest in this area knows that Inhofe's statement is complete nonsense. Even Andrew Sullivan has acknowledged the fact of anthropogenic global warming. If you don't, I suggest you read Inhofe: What planet is he on? at The Island of Doubt (and follow his link to Real Climate's The Global Cooling Myth where I learned a few things myself).

What I want to know is, what happens when global warming (and man's part in it) become unavoidable and tragic? Will there be a backlash against Christianity because the Religious Right sold it's soul to corporate greed? Will this destroy people's faith in Jesus Christ? Might this result in the end of Christianity, at least as a significant religion in the world?

Nancy and I had a wonderful time tonight with a gang of bloggers: Paperback Writer, Loki, Trouble, Hellcat, Chowderhead, Michelle and Osquer. The original plans were to meet at Gullifty's. Loud jazz being difficult to talk over, someone suggested the group move to Alladin's on Forbes near Shady.

The crew travelled by foot to the new restaurant. A twenty-minute wait for a table for 9 gave us a chance to renew acquaintances and introduce Nancy to the bunch. Chowderhead, thinking … well, ahead, grabbed some menus. We were ready to order by the time we sat down.

The food was delicious; there were many new things on the menu I would like to try next time. Everyone saved room for desert, although mine was obviously quite small.

More important was the friendship of the group. Nancy was new to these people, doesn't read blogs, and yet fit right in. I want to thank them all for making her feel welcome.

There are a number of stories, from the Silence of the Lavatories to the Klingon word for "chocolate." I don't know I could explain them all, so I won't even try.

This was a great get-together. Thanks, folks!

Tonight, I'll be meeting Trouble and the others at Gullifty's in the Hill of Squirrels section of Pittsburgh.

See you at 8 p.m.!

I began this post late on 7/25. We celebrated National Night Out in our neighborhood on Tuesday (a week early so that we get lots of emergency vehicles in the parade). We had a lot of people get together for the block party and a good time was had by all. I only sent one person to the E.R. (for a yellowjacket sting) and that person turned out to be fine. My ears are still ringing from the huge parade of public safety vehicles blowing their sirens. I forgot to wear my earplugs this year!

Anyway, here are some articles I found interesting that you might wish to check out:

• Straczynski announced a "direct to DVD" set of 20 min. segments on Babylon 5 characters. There's other information there about more irons jms has in the fire.
• CNN article title: Hussein: Shoot me if found guilty. Personally, I was hoping for a nice display cage at the Baghdad zoo.
• Yesterday I picked a friend up at the airport. While pushing luggage to the car, I lost my brand new copy of the book Accelerando. I was on page 20. I hope whoever found it enjoys my $8 book. Imagine how the person who dropped a book of Psalms in a bog somewhere around 800-1000 AD must have felt: they didn't have mass-market printing yet!
• I'm going to have to write more (including a retraction) at a later date, but for now, here's the Capitol Hill Blue FUBAR announcement.
• "'When you have that many people against your client, you may discredit one or two or three, but to discredit 12, 13, 15, 18 — it's a tougher road to hoe,' said Thomassey." Apparently the most unrealistic thing about crime shows is the difficulty finding the idiot criminals.
• One criminal who we all wish might have been far more stupid may turn out to be a serial killer. The FBI is looking into the fates of 50 Women photographed by convicted murderer and death-row inmate William Richard Bradford.
• PittGirl will appreciate this article: Baked scorpions solve fossil puzzle
• A new blog I'm linking to, Rudd Sound Bites (by the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity) discusses "fundamental attribution error" and how it affects our perception of our control over diet.
• The MSNBC/Reuters article Fish in diet may help maintain heart rhythm shows one more reason to include fish in your diet.
• As long as we're discussing diet, there's evidence a low GI diet will help with cholesterol and fat levels. For those not familiar, GI is glycemic index, the measure of how easily carbohydrates are turned into sugar by the human body. Some foods are obvious: chew a cracker for a few seconds and it turns sweet as enzymes in saliva break down the carbs into sugars. Best rule of thumb: the more processed the food is, the worse the GI is.
• Given the heat we've had lately, here's a primer on the different shapes Snow can take and what causes it.
• I especially enjoyed this Fox News article about how DDT affects the brains of songbirds because Fox News columnist Steven Milloy keeps trying to claim DDT is harmless. I'd just point out that, if DDT messes up the song centers in songbird's brains, one has to ask what DDT does to human brains.
• I wound up getting a mention in MSNBC's
  Clicked. At most, I expected an excerpt would be used. In the future, I have to remember to edit more.
• A comment on Cosmic Log about the Greatest Date in Space also got some play.
• Slashdot published my short news article on Titan's lakes. When I decided to switch from technical writing to freelance journalism, this isn't how I imagined things going, but it's a start.
• I have a section on Google News that picks up articles from around the world about parrots. I especially liked this story about a woman who has rescued an African grey parrot with seizures.
• On the other hand, the unthinking cretin who left her cockatoo in the car should never be permitted to have another pet. Personally, I don't think such a person should be permitted to have children, either.
• How do you get on the Homeland SecurityWatch List? Simple: make the mistake of flying on a plane with an Air Marshall who has to fill his "suspicious persons" quota for the month. Stunts like this make us less secure, not more. (Tip of the hat to Slashdot.)
• Referrer logs can be strange places, but I love this one I found: I see a heart beat in my cockatiel egg. I've never seen that; I'm jealous!
• Now that the human genome has been sequenced, there's a plan to sequence the genome ofNeandertals. This will tell us a lot about whether Homo neandertalis and Homo sapiens sapiens interbred and may point out some of the genes that make us who we are. Estimates are that humans share 99.95% of their genes with Neandertals.
• Is testicular cancer so easy to cure when it spreads to the rest of the body becausethe cancer can't take the heat? Heat has been used in the past as a cancer treatment. Cancers tend to be ravenous. Heat might cause the cancer to demand more nutrients than it can get, weakening it and making it more susceptible to destruction.
• A judge has ruled that a child can be given a cancer treatment in Mexico that is of highly questionable value, rather than the proper treatment. Cases like this have a very nasty habit of turning out badly. Anyone else remember laetril? You don't hear anything about it any more. I wonder why. No, wait, I don't wonder at all.