GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

The Gorilla talks a lot about different issues regarding animals simply because he considers himself an advocate for them, and he wants to draw attention to animal rights. The Gorilla, being a primate himself, knows well that the animals cannot speak for themselves and cannot defend themselves and so we have been appointed as their advocates, their defense, and their voice. It is our duty as humans (and primates!) to take action when animals are being abused, hurt, or exploited.  The Gorilla would like to draw some more attention to the continuing saga playing out in Japan over the massive number of dolphins that are being brutally killed for their meat. When we think of dolphins, we think of a beautiful caring creature- one that has been a caretaker of sorts of its human counterparts. It is an animal that is considered to be as intelligent as any of the higher primates (such as gorillas) and as compassionate as some humans. We think about Flipper, and many of the fun, funny, and intelligent creatures we see at Sea World. A dolphin is a creature that is eager to please humans, is completely harmless, and deserves our respect and protection.  Unfortunately, in Japan, these wonderful creatures are regarded to many as food and only as food. To the fisherman in Taiji, Japan, dolphins are a business; a way of making a living and something to be hunted and slaughtered for meat. After all, it’s a 400 year-old tradition in that country. Who are any of us, to come into their lives and their home, and tell them to stop? Actually, who are we NOT to? Just because something is a tradition, should that make it somehow acceptable?  There are many barbaric “traditions” that have existed for hundred, even thousands of years in different cultures, such as burning women at the stake who were considered “witches” or genital mutilation in women in some cultures. In the present day, we know better, and much like these unacceptable traditions, there is no need or excuse for the slaughtering of dolphins. In the small town of Taiji, there are only about 3,000 people and many of them eat dolphin meat. The dolphins are hunted daily there. The fishermen drive them into bays or alcoves and then hook them with a large barb and let them bleed to death. The fear they feel is apparent and the screams and cries can be clearly heard form a distance, as the entire alcove turns red from the blood. These are intelligent creatures. They know what is happening before it happens. It is cruel and inexcusable-not to mention extremely unhealthy to consume the meat.  Dolphin meat contains extremely high levels of mercury, making the meat a health risk to certain individuals. Thankfully, that may be the one saving grace for these creatures. Ric O’barry is a retired dolphin trainer from Miami and has worked with the animals his entire life. He now resides in Taiji, where he has regularly borne witness to the daily slaughters. He often disguises himself so that he doesn’t appear to be a Westerner so that he can film the hunts to draw attention to them for groups like PETA and for the Japanese government. ”This here is ground zero for the largest slaughter of dolphins on planet Earth,” says O’Barry, who trained five dolphins to play “Flipper” on the TV series of that name. “It’s absolutely barbaric and it needs to stop. It takes a very long time to die. They bleed to death. And some of them are dragged in the boats with hooks while they’re still alive,” he says. “Many of them are gutted while they’re still alive.”    Unfortunately, there are larger questions of culture and perspective. It is not just about how inhumane it is. Many Japanese are puzzled at the Westerners’ outlook on the hunting. They don’t understand how Americans could slaughter a chicken or a cow and give them a hard time about killing dolphins. Japan has been feeling the heat for many years regarding its massive whaling industry as well, so they are no strangers to controversy when it comes to the fishing industry.  The new President of Australia is outraged by the industry and is trying to make changes in the laws that protect whales from slaughter. Meanwhile, although most Taiji city officials defend the right to slaughter dolphins due to an age-old tradition, many Japanese citizens are opposed to the practice and are steadily fighting the battle to have it stopped. One of Taiji’s local city councilman is trying to put a stop to the consumption of dolphin meat in local schools- after all bottlenose dolphin meat contains 12 times more mercury than blue fin tuna — high levels of mercury in fish can cause health problems in pregnant women and young children. The councilman even plucked one of his own beard hairs to have it tested for mercury and found that it contained seven times as much mercury as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers safe. Could this be the saving grace for these wonderful creatures? Let us hope that it is!

It is a stressful world we live in and health issues can often make it even more stressful. Now the Gorilla asks you, how stressed out would you be if you were a New Yorker having an HIV test at a free clinic, and when you got the initial result, you were told it was positive? Would you freak out? Would you be afraid you would die? Would you cry? That is exactly what happened to hundreds of people who were incorrectly told that they had tested positive for HIV at a New York City STD clinic this winter.  The Department of Health confirmed that almost half of the results given by the clinic were in fact, false positives. From November to April, 213 people tested positive after taking a rapid mouth swab HIV test. It was not until a second test was taken that the people found out that they did not, in fact, have HIV. Now that’s a big mistake for the maker of the test, OraSure Technologies.  Meanwhile, despite the false positives, the city continued to administer the tests. Thus, it seems they have some explaining to do. The Department of Health has stopped using the swab and it is investigating the reason for the false positives. The DOH says that a blood test was immediately administered after the swabs were done, revealing the real result. However, the psychological harm had already been done. Swab tests were introduced in 2005 as a popular test for STD’s at city clinics. The number of people tested for HIV grew 24% that year.  ”Nobody was misled or harmed,” said Dr. Susan Blank, assistant DOH commissioner and director of the bureau of STD control. Well it’s a big huge “OOPS” for the city, and even though no “harm” was done, the undue stress was not called for. Can anyone say “lawsuit?”

What would you do if you had a child who suffered from autism? Life is hard enough for kids, but when you throw in the disorder of autism, it makes everyday life that much more difficult for the child and for the parents too. Life was hard enough for Melissa Barton, who was in the process of having her son Alex evaluated and diagnosed with autism. But Barton is facing an even greater challenge today. You see, 5-year-old Alex was “voted” out of his kindergarten class by his fellow classmates at the urging of his teacher on Wednesday. By a 14 to 2 margin, the kids voted him out, and Alex was told that the class no longer wanted him there and that he would need to leave the class. In addition, each student was allowed to say what they didn’t like about Alex, while he stood in the front of the class! The comments included “disgusting” and “annoying.”  The event followed a disciplinary measure taken by the teacher because of Alex’s disruptive behavior in class, which involved a trip to the principal’s office; a place that the boy frequented often this year. Upon his return to the classroom after the visit, the teacher decided to take action herself to “teach him a lesson.” That is when the vote occurred. Melissa Barton filed a complaint with the school immediately upon hearing about the incident, and says that Alex is “traumatized” by the incident. She says that the event follows a series of disciplinary issues Alex has had because of his condition. He suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome; a type of high-functioning autism.   Alex began the testing process in February at the suggestion of the school and Alex’s teacher- the same one who initiated the vote- was present and was aware of Alex’s condition. Unfortunately, the state attorney’s office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed. That won’t stop Melissa Barton, who says that her son “did not deserve this” and that he’s reliving the moment over and over again.  “He was incredibly upset,” Barton said. “The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this.” Melissa Barton has withdrawn Alex from the school for now and is planning on filing a lawsuit against the school.  

Autism is not something uncommon and it is a disorder that affects nearly 1 in 150 kids. The disorder causes children to act in a disruptive manner and is often isolating for the child. So the question is, “what action should be taken against this teacher who acted so inappropriately?” That is exactly what the school board officials are trying decide at this time. In the meantime, the teacher has been removed from direct contact with children in the school, while a debate ensues. People are just outraged by this incident and everyone is left wondering why this happened to this poor little boy. Some think the teacher should be fired, others think she needs to take a leave of absence, and many people feel she should have her teaching license revoked altogether. But this is NOT all about the teacher; it is about an innocent little boy, who was hurt and traumatized forever by the actions of this irresponsible teacher. For more information about autism visit www.autismspeaks.org. Chances are…you know a few kids with this condition!

The Gorilla went to fill up his car the other day and like many of you, he is still reeling from the shock of how much it cost to fill his tank, even though the surprise should be over by now. It’s not- and no matter what you drive or how much it takes to “fill er’ up,” at around $4 per gallon, it is not easy to accept the reality of how expensive gas is right now.  Everyone is doing what they can to conserve, so many companies are cleverly capitalizing on the expensive prices by offering free gas cards to consumers for bringing their business to them. Some banks are offering $50 gas cards to those who open new accounts with them. Car dealers are offering free gas fill ups just to come on in and test drive, (they never had so many people take test drives!), and radio stations across the globe are giving away gas as a prize to the correct number caller! The Gorilla even heard about a wealthy local attorney in his area giving away free gas to the first one hundred people who showed up at an area gas station in a poor neighborhood. Unfortunately, he was only giving away gas to one hundred people, but several-hundred showed up. That is how badly people need the gas!  Probably the most interesting “gas giveaway” by far though, was the one the Gorilla heard today. Free gas to those who donate blood! Blood for gas? This will surely be the tell all to end all of how badly people want free gas! It’s a great idea really, especially since summer is the most difficult time of year for the American Red Cross, when it comes to blood donations. Almost 14% of donors during the year are college and high school students, and when summer comes, the students are gone, leaving much of the already fragile blood supply dwindling. The Red Cross has teamed up with different gas companies to give away gas in exchange for a blood donation in some areas. The promotion works like this: There will be four weekly drawings for $100 gas cards and one grand prize drawing for a $1000 gas card at the end of the month.  It sounds like great incentive to help the already fragile blood supply in this county! Ironically, traumas tend to increase during the summer, and the need for blood is actually worse this time of year than almost any other. Your blood donation is desperately needed and could help to save lives! Not to mention the donation is mutually beneficial to you and the patient right now. People need blood, and people need gas too- more now than ever before, so give a little and get a little! The Gorilla likes the concept and just as he always does, he will be donating blood himself this summer for sure! (Getting a little free gas in the process is just an added bonus.)

It’s nothing new that when people in the U.S. want illegal prescription drugs, they order them from other countries. In fact, the list of illegal items obtained from other countries is very long! But now it seems that even a popular Euthanasia pill is available to those who want to “exit” this life peacefully, albeit illegally. According to a report from the Mexican newspaper, Reform AFP, over 200 terminally ill people from Australia, Britain, New Zealand and the United States have visited Mexico since 2001 to purchase the Euthanasia Drug, Nembutol, which is cheap and widely available.  According to the article, Mexico’s 20 or so border towns like Tijuana in California, and Matamoros on the Gulf of Mexico, are premier places to find the drug. What’s more disturbing is the fact that the pro-euthanasia group Exit International, based in Australia, is promoting this option and telling those who want to end their lives “peacefully” to consider using Mexico as an option. Exit International is a non-profit organization, founded by Dr. Philip Nitschke, which promotes the peaceful end of life alternative of euthanasia by advocating a pro-choice voluntary euthanasia/ assisted suicide to those who are terminally ill. Nitschke, was the very first doctor to administer a legal lethal voluntary injection under the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act of the Northern Territory in 1996 (the act was short-lived). Nitschke is also the author of, “The Peaceful Pill Handbook,” which disturbing as it sounds is a guide to creating your own suicide pill at home (among other things). The disturbing instructional guide can also be found on YouTube, with some clips showing step-by-step methods to creating the euthanasia pill in one’s own kitchen.  The drug Nembutol is commonly used to put down animals and is widely available throughout Mexico, making it easily accessible to those seeking it out. Add to that convenience, the fact that it is affordable as well at only $20-$40 per 100 ml bottle, and you have a recipe for disaster- in the form of certain death. According to that same Mexican newspaper article, Don Flounders, a 78-year-old British-born retiree, with a deadly form of cancer, traveled from Australia to the Pacific coast town of Tijuana to get the medicine. Flounders told the newspaper that he found a veterinary pharmacy that had a sign advertising “articles for Australians.”  Although the Gorilla understands completely, the need for those who are terminally ill to not prolong their suffering and go out quietly and peacefully, he is still disturbed by those who advocate intentional use of such drugs and methods for profit. They are capitalizing in essence, on others’ unfortunate circumstances, as well as their state of fear and vulnerability.  Should we call them “heroes” or “Doctors of Death,” just as Dr. Jack Kevorkian is called? Currently, the Mexican government is allowing the sale of these “death drugs,” making it official that you truly can buy just about anything in Mexico- even death in pill form, which in the Gorilla’s opinion, is truly sad!

When we were kids,most of us watched “The Jetsons”- that famous cartoon set in the far-off future, that attempted to give us a “far out” and far-fetched idea of what living in the “space age” would be like. People flew around on saucer-like devices,soaring from space house to space house. Mrs. Jetson had a robot for a maid and even the dog was a robot. The very idea of robotics seemed like something we would never actually see come to fruition in our lifetime, but of course the idea was thrilling to many people. But alas, the wait is over, and the future is in fact, here right now. 

Robots are doing just about everything these days, from building cars, to performing surgeries and now, even conducting the symphony. That’s right folks, you heard the Gorilla correctly; a robot conducted the Detroit Symphony the other night, and the crowd was wowed! ASIMO, a robot designed and donated by the Honda Motor Company, walked out onto the stage in front of a sold-out crowd and led the orchestra in a spot-on performance of “The Impossible Dream” from Man Of La Mancha. The shiny white 4 feet, 3 inch ASIMO said “hello everyone” and waved to the orchestra. Although ASIMO is not built to detect tempo variations, it is able to perfectly mimic the actions of the conductor.  
 

 ”It is absolutely thrilling to perform with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. This is a magnificent concert hall,” ASIMO said.  And then took a bow in front of the shouts from an enthusiastic audience. Later, ASIMO came back out to join famed cellist,Yo Yo Ma, onstage to receive an award. This was the first time that ASIMO has ever conducted the orchestra; in fact, it may well be the first time any robot has conducted an orchestra.

Although ASIMO is an amazing innovation, even he has his limits. For example, he is only programmed to mimic the conductor, but not programmed to respond to musicians. “It’s not a communicative device. It simply is programmed to do a sense of gestures,” said Leonard Slatkin, the orchestra’s musical director. “If the orchestra decides to go faster, there’s nothing the robot can do about it. Hopefully, I keep that under control.” But several musicians commented on how lifelike the robot actually is, despite the fact that he is still a little stiff in his movements.

Honda has been developing  robots since 1986 and eventually hopes to develop companion robots for the elderly and as crossing guards for navigating crosswalks. Incredibly, ASIMO can run, walk on uneven slopes, and respond to simple voice commands. It can also recognize faces with its camera eyes. So, is the world ready for robots who will live in their homes with them? Well, the Gorilla can’t speak for the rest of you, but as for himself, the idea of a human-looking robot, co-existing with a Gorilla, might not be so bad, but a Gorilla-looking robot would be the ultimate!

What if you could choose the type of child born to you? In other words, imagine inserting certain qualities into an embryo, such as athletic ability or intelligence. It sounds pretty amazing in theory, (if you are into the Sci-Fi Network), but personally, the Gorilla finds this idea to be not only immoral, but just plain creepy.  For the first time ever, scientists have altered a human embryo, and the study is drawing a lot of controversy from some watchdog groups around the world. The groups claim that the practice of making “designer babies” is both appalling and unsettling. But Dr. Zev Rosenwaks, who is the director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at New York- Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says that “none of us want to make designer babies.” Dr. Rosenwak is the author of the study and says that the work was focused on stem cells and notes that researchers used an abnormal embryo that could never have developed into a baby anyway. It is a nice argument, but the Gorilla must ask, do some of these researchers enjoy playing God?  The idea of designer babies is certainly not a new one, and the thought is that someday scientists may give parents the option of certain traits for their future child or children. Many people (including the Gorilla), find this idea repugnant, claiming that it turns children into some kind of “designer objects” and would create an “unequal” society, whereby some people are genetically enriched, while others would be considered inferior. Yes, it sounds very futuristic and cool if this was a movie, but in the real world, it could be a dangerous prospect! The study is the first report of genetically modifying a human embryo, but when it was presented last fall at a meeting for the American Society for reproductive medicine, it didn’t attract that much attention or controversy- until the London times recently published the report. The report claims that Rosenwaks and his colleagues worked on an embryo that was considered nonviable because it had extra chromosomes. Following a procedure frequently used on animals, they inserted a gene that acts as a marker that can easily be followed over time. The study claims that the embryo reportedly “took up” the gene. The goal was to see if a gene introduced to an abnormal embryo could be traced in stem cells that are harvested from the embryo. Dr. Rosenwaks says that it would shed light on why abnormal embryos sometimes fail to develop. He also says that no stem cells were actually recovered from the embryo, and noted that abnormal embryos often don’t develop well enough to produce them. Although making designer babies was not the actual “intent” of the study, it still draws controversy because of the fact that it shows that it is possible to do so, which is disturbing in the Gorilla’s mind. It seems that these scientists were experimenting with techniques that others might use to genetically modify human lives, and they are getting away with it with little debate thus far.  A London-based group called Human Genetics Alert similarly criticized the work. 

Hey, the Gorilla is for any research that can help potentially find and correct genetic defects, but that being said, there are lines that need not be crossed when it comes to altering creation. Others may disagree, and everyone is entitled to do so, but at what point is crossing the lines of science morally unacceptable?

What would you think if someone told you that you could clone your dead dog? Yes, it’s kinda creepy isn’t it? But then again, if Fido was your very best friend, and you wanted him back (or at least an exact replica of him), would you do it if you knew it was possible? Like the Gorilla, many of you have probably experienced the loss of a beloved pet at some time in your life. The Gorilla’s one-of-a-kind best friend was named “Jack,” and there has never been a dog since that could compare. He was an amazing pet and companion, and the Gorilla still gets a little weepy when he thinks about that dog! But would cloning be an option? 

For the Gorilla, probably not, but a woman in California sure thought so. The woman, who is handicapped has decided to have her deceased Pit Bull Terrier named Booger, cloned from some ear tissue that she has kept refrigerated from the pet. The South Korean firm, RNL Bio, has agreed to clone the dog for a whopping $150,000 (U.S.).  ”It seems that she had a disability and her dog helped her cope with the problem, so she was eager to get a clone of Booger,” the company’s CEO, Ra Jeong-Chan, was quoted as telling the Korean Times. The cloning will be conducted by Seoul National University, while RNL Bio looks after the business side. Ra says that there are many Western countries that will want to clone their pets and he says that he expects to have 500 orders within a few years from the U.S. and elsewhere. Wow!

Apparently, a team at SNU created the world’s first cloned dog, and Afghan hound named Snuppy in 2005. Since then, no teams have been successful in cloning dogs. This will be the first time that a dog will be cloned in a commercial contract. Now, don’t get the Gorilla wrong here, but he is not really a big fan of the whole cloning procedure. Many people feel that cloning, no matter what the species, is morally questionable and some consider it reprehensible. It has always been controversial, but be that as it may, it is not only possible, but it is a reality for those who can afford it.

Well, that’s really not surprising since it seems that money trumps almost everything these days - morals included! You may be someone who says, “I would never do such a thing” and hey, many people feel that way. Add to the moral issue, a price tag of $150,000, and who could blame them? But let the Gorilla ask you this question; if the price tag was more affordable-let’s say- $1500 or maybe $2500 to clone your dead pet…..would you reconsider? Most likely, many of those who claimed they are dead against it for “moral reasons” when it seemed out of reach, would suddenly make an exception. Weird how that works, isn’t it? You decide!

More and more these days, the Gorilla hears new stories about negligent occurrences at hospitals, and each time, he is more shocked than the last! There have been stories about surgeons performing brain surgeries on the wrong side of the brain; nurses giving the wrong medications and killing or critically injuring patients (remember the recent Dennis Quaid twins incident?); and yes, we’ve all heard this one a time or two…babies being switched at birth and going home with the wrong parents! (Haven’t they perfected newborn identification by NOW?)

Some of the stories are simply unbelievable, but this news story really takes the cake. In Australia this week, a woman was admitted to the Ballarat Hospital in Victoria, because of a miscarriage she suffered. And if that wasn’t distressing enough, she could not have anticipated that the worst was still yet to come. The woman was gathering her personal belongings, preparing to check out. When she looked through her overnight bag, she found a package with her name on it, so she opened it. To her extreme shock and horror that bag contained her almost 19 week old miscarried fetus. The fetus was inadvertently placed in her bag by a hospital staff member. Yes, you heard correctly, someone on the hospital staff, placed the unborn fetus in the woman’s bag. The woman found the fetus- who was approximately 19 weeks old- wrapped in a towel and placed in a plastic bag. Unbeknownst to the woman, she opened the plastic bag wondering what it was, and was appalled to find her own unborn child.

Now, you are probably wondering the same thing the Gorilla is wondering; how in the world can a hospital employee make such an ignorant mistake? Are people truly that stupid? Apparently, this is not the first negligent incident in the hospital’s history, but how and why could a person make such an obvious mistake? The incident is one of a string of lawsuits against the hospital in Ballarat, in Victoria, Australia, in the past two months. But Ballarat Health Services say there is “no cause for alarm.” Really? Someone places a dead baby into an already grieving mother’s belongings for her to find, and this is “no cause for alarm?”

Well, if this is no cause for alarm, then the Gorilla would like to know exactly what does constitute a cause for alarm? Perhaps hospitals should have more regularly scheduled staff meetings to discuss the obviously waning astuteness, which is so frequent these days among its employees; or perhaps the laws need to be reformed regarding medical personnel and proper protocol and procedures therein. Whatever the method, could someone please do something? The Gorilla does believe that these are relatively isolated incidents, and that for the most part, medical personnel are pretty much on the ball at most hospitals. In fact, in every hospital experience the Gorilla has ever had to endure in his area, the hospital staff was completely on task, informative, and fantastic, so rest assured you are most likely in good hands no matter which hospital you might choose. But this story is both sad and ”bizarre,” and it leaves the Gorilla wondering, ”what will be next?”

The real estate market is tough right now to say the least. At least for sellers. And if you are a seller- your home better be simply perfect, with the unbelievable competition that’s out there right now. And don’t get the Gorilla wrong, but would a dead corpse hanging in a closet make you want to buy a house?  Well, one seller didn’t exactly think about that, and nor did he care. In fact, he left himself hanging dead in the closet of his home, while prospective buyers were looking around during an open house! Make no mistake here; The Gorilla is certainly not trying to make light of this very tragic scenario, but it’s a tough market out there and the guy requested the open house, and then hung himself right before it started to show!  

Apparently, the 48 year old man was devastated over the recent loss of his mother and told a neighbor that there were just “too many memories” in the home. But to hang yourself right before the start of an open house? The poor fella must have given this one some thought! The realtor who discovered the body is still trying to recover from the shock of the incident. He was in the middle of a showing with several interested parties involved, when he opened the closet door and found the man hanging. The realtor quietly ushered everyone out of the home and locked the door and called police. He is being praised for the way he handled the situation by his employer. Now that’s a case of “buyers beware” if the Gorilla ever heard one!