GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

Okay, so now that we have heard all of the warnings about the dangers of  talking on your cell while driving, people seem to have finally gotten the message (no pun intended) not to mention, many states have passed new laws banning people from using phones while driving. Well that’s just fantastic (the Gorilla always hates it when people aren’t driving properly because they too busy talking on their phones). But now that we’ve got a handle on that situation, of course, we have another concern to think about; texting.  The American College of Emergency Physicians warns that there may be serious dangers involved in texting while walking, driving, or doing just about anything at the same time your fingers are punching those keys at a thousand miles per minute. One student talks about how she often stumbles while texting and walking because she isn’t paying attention or looking at the ground where she is walking. Another woman admits that she fell off of a curb and twisted her ankle while fingering away at her blackberry. “It was a nice wake-up call for me to be a lot more careful in the future, because I clearly wasn’t paying attention and I should have,” she says.  But the physician’s warnings come at a time when ER doctors are seeing a rise in serious accidents involving people texting and doing other things simultaneously such as walking, biking, roller-blading, and yes, driving. One ER doctor in Texas, Dr. Angela Gardner, even said she recently saw a man who was injured while texting and riding on a segway. Ouch! She says that when questioned about their injuries, people usually lie or make excuses about how they were injured. She usually ends up getting the real story from snickering ambulance drivers and crew.  “People don’t want to admit they were doing something so silly,” Gardner said.  

In a country where 363 billion text messages were sent last year, according to CTIA, a wireless association, this is a big concern. There have also been hundreds of deaths due to texting and driving, and while that may not seem like much, those are only the proven documented cases and authorities say that number will most likely to increase in the next few years due to the popularity of text messaging. The Gorilla’s advice? People can always wait. Remember the days when there were no cell phones? It never killed anyone to have to wait back then, now did it?

When a loved one dies, it is beyond painful. Understandably, people sometimes go to great lengths to preserve the memory of those they loved, and surely everyone who has suffered such a loss sympathizes with this ideology. But can people sometimes go a little too far with it?  Well, that’s up to you to decide, but when the Gorilla heard about this weird phenomenon, he got a bit creeped out. Why? Well because one company is capitalizing on death and bereavement by offering to turn your loved one’s remains into jewelry- specifically a precious diamond. Sure, why not wear your lovely Aunt Theresa right around your neck after she passes? If that’s not a tribute to those you love, what is?  The company, called LifeGem, uses the motto: “Like the memory of a loved one, a diamond lasts forever” and specializes in a patented process of creating diamonds (almost exactly like the real things) made of the carbon remains of your cremated loved one or from the carbon in the hair from your deceased loved one. Creepy? Again, that is for you to decide, but then again, to each his own.  The process is a painstaking one that involves a heating procedure, which heats the carbon in sealed containers called “crucibles” to over 3000 degrees. The idea is to replicate the earth’s natural process of converting carbon to graphite to create a pure diamond. Interesting? Well, yes, extremely, and no, this is not exactly a new concept either.  General Electric first had the patent on this process back in the 1950’s. But present day technology has brought this unique idea to the forefront and has made it a reality for those who wish to keep the memory of their loved one alive forever. It’s really not all that strange if you consider that many cultures in the history of civilization have performed similar bizarre acts when those they loved died.  The Ancient Egyptians, for example, buried their deceased with all of their expensive worldly possessions in a mummification process that was meant to ensure entry into the next life. The ancient Chinese (and modern day as well) believe that you should have a public mourning for a period of 49 days and during different days carry out specific rituals at the grave site, such as burning money and incense. They are also very careful about where they bury their dead and which way the deceased will face in some cases.  Some Native American Indians believe that if you die in your home, your spirit remains there, so many choose to die in hospitals instead. Some also believe that if you lost a limb in life that it must be preserved and replaced after the person has passed in order to be buried whole. Yes, folks it is the Western Civilizations that are considered to be the “abnormal” ones when it comes to their views and perceptions about death.  

So, is it really all that odd to want your Mother’s remains preserved in a beautiful diamond to wear close to your heart? Perhaps not, but the Gorilla isn’t expecting any of his loved ones to go to such extremes. Just bury him in a cool place, with a banana in his hand, and he will be just fine!

The earth’s atmosphere is full of greenhouse gas emissions, which is not news. But did you know that it is believed that a potentially large percentage of it could be coming from those cute, chubby, mooing beefsteaks we call cows? Silly yes, but entirely true! It has been widely known for decades that animal waste has contributed methane to the greenhouse effect, but not a lot of attention has been paid to its potential effects. Until now, carbon dioxide emissions received most the credit for its large contribution to the earth’s greenhouse effect, but scientists in Argentina have decided to take a closer look at cows, and what they may be contributing.  Argentina is one of the world’s biggest beef producers, with some 55 million cows grazing on its famed Pampas Grasslands. And Methane, researchers say, is 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere and can be found in animal waste, landfills, coal mines and leaking natural gas pipes. Researchers say the slow digestive system of cows makes them a producer of methane so they found an effective way to measure just how much that could be. The researchers attach a red plastic tank to a cow’s back and connect it through a tube to the animal’s stomach, and scientists say they can trap bovine burps and analyze them. (Yes, the Gorilla did say “burps”).  “When we got the first results, we were surprised. Thirty percent of Argentina’s (total greenhouse) emissions could be generated by cows,” said Guillermo Berra, a researcher at the National Institute of Agricultural Technology. It’s simply unbelievable that a cow, weighing around 1200 pounds, could emit that amount of methane-equal to almost 1000 liters- daily. Scientists are now working to develop new diets for cows that will make it easier for them to digest food. They are working on testing out alfalfa and clover and trying to move away from grains. “We have done a preliminary study and have found that by using tannins, you can reduce methane emissions by 25 percent,” said Silvia Valtorta of the National Council of Scientific and Technical Investigations.  

Wow! You’d think that someone would have figured this out a bit sooner! Let’s just hope they don’t find any greenhouse gas emissions in Gorilla burps. Can you imagine them trying to put a tank on a Gorilla’s back? That one could be costly!

Life isn’t supposed to be mediocre? That’s basically what a school district in Northern Kentucky is stating by trying to eliminate “C” as a passing grade. The Eminence Independent School District in Henry County has already done away with D’s in its district and soon the C could be unacceptable as a passing grade as well. “Getting a D is like doing the bare minimum,” said Carter Martin, a middle and high school business teacher. “Life isn’t like that.”  The Henry School District did away with D’s almost 4 years ago and it has been surprisingly successful. School officials there say that the failure rate has dropped and that standardized test scores have risen 13% for middle school students and 10% for high school students making those who once doubted the change, believers. “We raised their standards, and they met them,” said Steve Frommeyer, principal of Eminence’s middle and high schools. Students claim that they were “scared about the change,” but that it made kids “kick it into gear” once they knew what was expected of them. The Henry County School District will vote next month for the change to eliminate C’s for the 2009-2010 school year, which would require 300 middle school and high school students to score no less than an 80% to earn a passing grade.  Not every district is a fan of the proposed change. Some say that it puts way too much pressure on kids, especially those with learning disabilities. Maryland and Florida abandoned the policy because too many kids were failing. In Oldham County, 2 schools have abolished the D, but some parents are angry, citing that their kids are getting thrown off of sports teams and that their grade point averages have been affected. (The Gorilla used to be a wrestler in high school and you weren’t allowed to have any D’s back then!) ”There are kids with learning disabilities that are falling through the cracks,” said David Miller, who pulled his son out of North Oldham High School, after he failed several classes under the policy. “This policy seems to be a way to push them through the cracks more quickly.” But Eminence officials are careful to phase in the policy in stages- one grade at a time. And Frommeyer says there will be safeguards put into place to assist those who have learning disabilities or are having a tough time with the change.  The school district learned a tough lesson in 2002 by acting too quickly to remove D’s and the failure rate jumped from 5%  to 18%, with many students being held back that year. They say they won’t make that mistake again! “You just don’t raise the standards and say, ‘Good luck, kids,’ ” Frommeyer said.”You have to have a lot of other standards in place.” He said the new grading scale would eliminate the C grade gradually.  

The Gorilla agrees with these new standards and policies in our schools, at least as far as eliminating the D is concerned, but C’s? The Gorilla doesn’t know about that one. It seems to the Gorilla that a ”D” signifies barely passable, which in essence, is saying one can get by with the bare minimum. Thus, it makes sense that it should be deemed unacceptable and done away with. But a “C” means “average” or “okay,” and there are a lot of “average” “okay” people in this world, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Hmm. Overall, it seems unlikely that most school systems will eliminate a C, but a D? Now that’s good policy!

Every day a new study reveals some new and interesting data about the many uses of marijuana (besides the obvious) and this one is no exception. Apparently, early results of the newest study reveal that marijuana can reduce the effects of acne. Wow! Careful now. Teens and acne are like peanut butter and jelly, now throw in some pot and you have a hormonal, acne-prone teen with the munchies!  But yes, it is very true. Scientists have discovered that our own body not only makes chemical compounds similar to the active ingredient in marijuana (THC), but these play an important part in maintaining healthy skin. So yes, marijuana is said to have chemicals that can clear up some forms of acne in people, but Dr. Rob Ashton says that since there are already endogenous cannabanoids present in our bodies, there is no need to smoke the drug. (Tell that one to the potheads!) The question is, can it work in our body, and can we teach our bodies to make more?  That is exactly what researchers are trying to figure out. However, the studies are in the earliest stages of research, so scientists are trying to find a way to break it down and produce it in a way that people can actually use it in a practical form. However, researchers warn that people should not go out and try smoking Marijuana to try and clear up their acne. In addition to its hallucinogen effects, marijuana can cause lung cancer and health problems. They are simply saying that there are properties in the cannabis plant that may be beneficial in treating some forms of acne once they find a pharmaceutical company that can break it down properly so it can be used in a practical way; i:e: topical or oral.  “This research shows that we may have something in common with the marijuana plant,” said Gerald Weissmann, MD. “Just as THC is believed to protect the marijuana plants from pathogens, our own cannabinoids may be necessary for us to maintain healthy skin and to protect us from pathogens.”  As many already know, cannabis has been used for years to relieve pain symptoms in those patients suffering from Glaucoma, and in cancer patients to relieve nausea and other symptoms. Many of our everyday drugs come from plants and plant derivatives, so this is really no surprise to the Gorilla. But this may all sound a bit ironic or unusual since most of the potheads we all knew in college seemed to have bad skin! I guess we have to just trust those smart researchers since they know better than we do.

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!