Candace's Blog

SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR A CHANGE: Mercy Ships featured on 60 Minutes

In this day and age when the media is just full of stories spreading fear and hatred, I really enjoyed this piece from 60 Minutes.  The Mercy Ship travels the ports on the coast of Africa that used to be stops for slave traders.  "The intersection of Courage and Compassion" is a great description of the people -- doctors, nurses, and those who run the ships -- as well as many of the poor and impoverished patients, many of whom will voluntarily sacrifice their own place in line to those with greater needs. 

Click HERE to see this beautiful story.  Many of them perform the same life altering surgeries as those done by the doctors and nurses of The Smile Train.  Not unlike the stories told in the movies "The Elephant Man" and "Mask," some of these are people are women and children who are ostrocised from society.  Many even die from otherwise benign tumors. 

In our own world of modern medicine, such tumors are caught and removed early, before they are allowed to grow to the point that you cannot even recognize their faces as human beings.  As the piece begins, much of the healing begins when the dotors and nurses greet these horribly disfigured children, women and men with love and respect. 

The "unique business model" features doctors and nurses who actually pay their own way with donations, many from churches and private individuals.

You might get out your hankies. 

If Only the Koch Brothers were the Koch SISTERS: Catholic, Jewish or UU, Female Leadership Oppose the "War on Women"

If the Koch Brothers were female, perhaps the GOP would be as enthusiastic about providing birth control for all women as they are about cutting taxes and repealing Roe v. Wade.  In fact, I suggest fiscal conservatives push through a bill making Birth Control mandatory as well as free for anyone applying for food stamps, welfare, Medicaid, or any of the existing entitlement programs that they are hoping to repeal should Romney get elected. 

I maintain that "the Koch Sisters" would move swiftly to sanction male political candidates, such as Todd Akin, who don't even have a basic understanding of science and reproductive biology, let alone reproductive rights.

It strikes me -- and even some Catholic nuns -- as strange and even cruel that the same politicians who oppose birth control (which helps avoid the contentious issue of abortion, which they also oppose), also oppose all programs the programs that help feed, house and care for unwanted babies and children.  Such programs are rife with problems, fraud and abuse. Stories include foster home scandals, welfare fraud, including reports of welfare recipients having more babies just to collect welfare and/or foster care payments,  and food stamp fraud, including food stamps re-sold and/or used for illegal activities. Again, an obvious first step towards correcting these problems is birth control -- free and even mandatory for all participants in such programs.

Anyone truly dedicated to minimizing taxes should agree that minimizing the number of unwanted pregnancies and births is an obvious first step towards cutting the overhead of such "entitlement programs," originally designed to help those who are attempting to raise children while living in poverty. And anyone who gives lip service to loving children should not wish to see one born into poverty.  Unwanted pregnancies frequently force women to choose between unwanted marriages and poverty. Frequently, such women get both.  And domestic violence often follows. Many mothers stay in such marriages due to financial concerns.

Even if one opposes ObamaCare or the growing expense to the taxpayers of entitlement programs, young couples (some who already have children) are struggling to make ends meet in the current economic crisis. With mortgages difficult to get, rents and food at an all time high, and fuel on the rise, young married women must -- at LEAST -- have the choice of controlling pregnancies with female birth control.

 

Meanwhile, all women should fight to retain their rights to control their own health and the fate of their bodies. And male politicians should NOT have any say in laws that impact women's health, especially when it comes to reproduction.  Especially if the men include those who are so ignorant of biology as is Akin, and men who are making decisions based solely on their religious beliefs.  After all, freedom of religion is (allegedly) one of the cornerstones of our constitution, and of this country.  Many religions believe in a woman's rights to control pregnancies. Married or unmarried, no woman should be denied access to birth control.  And men should not be involved in making ANY decisions regarding Roe v. Wade. 

Let the women duke it out on that issue. 

Even Catholic Nuns are starting to question the male dominated world of their Church (80% of U.S. Nuns support speaking out) as well as on social issues, especially when it comes to decisions that impact women, including birth control.  Afterall, it was a male Catholic leader who made the decision to opt out of social security when the program was first started. The Catholic Church's once wealthy coffers, which could have helped support aging nuns, have been eroded by the many settlements resulting lawsuits because they knowingly allowed pedophile priests to molest children. 

But many of U.S. nuns are increasingly questioning the contradiction, even the hypocrisy of Church decisions (made by male Church members) regarding birth control and those living in poverty.   Many priests who are guilty of molesting children have been protected by the Church, while those who favor birth control and have been ex-communicated.  Many Catholic nuns are speaking out in favor of ObamaCare, because of their faith-based dedication to their work with the poor.

Click HERE for an excellent summary of all the issues.  "Some Catholic nuns have opposed the bishops by supporting Obama's healthcare reform law and contraceptive mandate. We speak to Sister Simone Campbell, head of the Catholic social justice group NETWORK, which was harshly criticized in the Vatican report."

Whether it is within a religious community or among the elected officials of Congress, women need to make the decisions that impact only women.  Women cannot presume, nor should they, that male politicians will watch out for their best interests.  After all, as with the Priest Scandal, our elected officals haven't done such a great job watching out for anyone's interests except their own. 

To paraphrase a retired Congressman, does life really begin at conception and end at birth?  And another quip I read on Facebook, "Not every sperm deserves a name."

IMHO, the Koch Brothers need some female consultants since there aren't (yet) any Koch Sisters.  I suggest Sister (and lawyer) Simone Campbell.

JPL and Panavision Partner with Alacron and FastVision for New Semiconductor Inspection Camera

The most mind-altering movie I've ever seen is "The Hubble 3-D."  To my knowledge it is only available for viewing (thus far) at the Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC.  Produced by Warner Brothers and NASA, the IMAX movie does indeed "change our view of the universe," as the movie trailer says.  The JPL, (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) logo is highly visible on the replacement "guts" to the Hubble Telescope, as the movie viewers join the astronauts in outer space to witness this amazing accomplishment. The results, shown in this movie, are unprecedented views, data and knowledge of the vastness and mystery that surpasses time and space.

From what I understand about JPL, I would not be surprised if their logo is on just about everything the U.S. has launched into space. 

So I was excited to discover that JPL, along with Panavision Imaging had partnered with entrepreneur and small business owner, Dr. Joseph Sgro to produce some game-changing, Machine Vision technology. The initial target will be semiconductor inspection, although it will be valuable for many other applications.  Dr. Sgro is the CEO of Alacron, Inc. and FastVision, LLC.  Sgro's background, unique among machine vision manufacturers, is in advanced mathematics and neurology.

Sgro has been a pioneer in the Machine Vision industry for 25 years. In 1985, he launched a leading Frame Grabber manufacturer, Alacron, Inc. In 2002, he started FastVision, LLC, a revolutionary developer and manufacturer of smart, high speed, digital cameras.

Panavision Imaging is a division of another "movie making" giant entity, Panavision -- whose advanced camera technology is affiliated with many Hollywood productions.

Panavision's Imaging division specializes in sensor technology.  Image sensors are the things that allow cameras to translate images into information that can then trigger responses.  Sensors (along with image gathering cameras) are at the heart of machine vision, now an option on most cars to prevent fender benders.  Image sensors fall into two categories: CMOS and CCD. Until now, the CCD sensors were considered to be newer, faster and better -- and therefore most expensive. (Click HERE to see a comparison of CCD vs. other CMOS sensors.) However, Panavision's Imaging division's Dynamax family of CMOS sensors have demonstrated advantages over both CCD and other CMOS technologies. Their sensor allows ultra-low noise levels (what I might call minimal static in each frame) while operating at high frame rates with wide dynamic range.

The result of the partnership between JPL, Panavision, Alacron and FastVision has been an exceptionally fast camera -- the FC 300 -- and a back side imager.  The back side imager utilizes JPL's patented delta doping process.  To the uninitiated, delta doping sounds a bit like something that gets athletes in trouble. Instead, this technology plays a vital role in the semiconductor industry.  From the "Semiconductor Glossary," delta doping is defined as: "formation of the doped layers which are atomic-layer thick, formed in the course of Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) of multilayer structures such as superlattices."  (If this sounds overly technical to my readers, semiconductor manufacturing is a highly specialized field with its own jargon.)

Enabling semiconductor manufacturers to better inspect their delicate product with microscopic parts has long been a primary goal of the machine vision industry. (Click HERE to read a relevant 2009 article in VSD Magazine.)

The techno-speak is a bit over my head.  But the semiconductor industry, which began around 1960, has grown to over $350 billion in 2010.  And I DO understand the business opportunities in a competitive, $350 billion, worldwide business! Net-net: the FC 300 is an extremely valuable improvement on existing technology for manufacturers in this industry.  It will allow for better, faster and less expensive inspection of semiconductors, enabling much better detection of abnormalities in their atom-thin layers. 

The FC 300 offers options that include back thinned versions with high QE (or "quantum efficiency") in the visible and NIR (or near infrared) range. It can be ruggedized, too.  This is useful, for example, for military use. Historically, frame grabbers were the predominant way to interface cameras to PC's.  When integrated with a high powered frame grabber/coprocessor board, the resulting system capabilities can be expanded by adding processors and memory to the board according to the application's demands.

All this means that the FC 300, along with the patented back side imager, offers an improvement to existing technology in the fields of medicine, military and manufacturing, especially in the demanding production of quality semiconductors. In the field of medicine, the DUV capabilities might be used in early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's. It may prove useful in outer space exploration. Maybe someday, we'll see Alacron or FastVision's logos in an IMAX movie at the Air & Space Museum? Whether or not their logos make it into outer space or a feature-length movie, it is exciting to know that small businesses can still accomplish great things, earning the respect of and cooperation with such entities as JPL and Panavision.

KUDOs to COURAGEOUS CANINE VET who DARES TO BARK...SOFTLY

Relevant to my recent posting about the ban on bark-softening procedures, Dr. Sharon Vanderlip, who was the only person courageous enough to speak up NOT anonymously in the original article I read in the New York Times, has a piece in the newsletter I mentioned in my previous listing: the National Animal Interest Alliance.  She is extremely concerned that the California Senate may soon become yet another state that does not allow Bark Softening.  Click HERE to read her exceptional letter to the California politicians who are considering laws that they have no business considering.  Some of her more salient points are that kittens and puppies are extremely sensitive to anesthesia: 

An excerpt from her excellent letter....

I am a veterinarian licensed to practice in California and I vehemently oppose AB1634 as amended May 31, 2007. California veterinarians overwhelmingly oppose AB1634.....

For 28 years I have worked in reproductive medicine. I have worked extensively with responsible dog breeders and I have also worked in a very large California animal shelter. I have performed thousands of spays and neuters during my professional career, including early spays/neuters. I am convinced that AB1634 is a disastrous bill that will not solve a single problem, but will definitely create many more. This letter explains some reasons how and why AB1634 WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE NUMBERS OF ANIMALS IMPOUNDED, ABANDONED, AND EUTHANIZED EVERY YEAR.

Veterinary medical decisions, including when/if to spay/neuter an animal, should be made by veterinarians and the pets’ owners, not by politicians.  I am a proponent of spay/neuter, but on a medical case by case basis, when the time is right for each individual animal patient.

For complex physiological reasons, young puppies and kittens cannot clear some drugs and medications from their bodies, or tolerate anesthesia and surgery, as well as adolescent or adult animals can. Puppies and kittens can develop hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and have difficulty maintaining a normal body temperature during and after anesthesia. The three main causes of death in puppies and kittens are hypothermia, hypoglycemia, and dehydration—all of which can occur as a result of anesthesia and surgery and can progress to shock and death.  In short, puppies and kittens are high risk patients. Words create images in our minds and direct our thoughts—and our decisions. “Neuter” and “spay” sound harmless and suggest these are simple procedures without consequences. These words don’t raise mental images of incisions, organs, blood—or risks. “Spay”, derived from the French word espeier, means “to cut with a sword”. Castration, from Latin, castratio, means “to cut”. Now, with these original words in our heads, our mental images change from something benign to something startling. For balance, we should call these procedures by their correct names that describe what they really are: gonadectomy, ovariohysterectomy, castration.  By doing so, we remain cognizant of the difficulties and risks associated with an invasive intra-abdominal surgical procedure (including those required for abdominally retained testicles), the removal of body parts, and their long-term effects. Gentle words like “spay” and “neuter” have lulled many non-veterinarians into a casual, worry-free attitude toward these surgical procedures.

Politicians and animal activists supporting AB1634 also take these surgical procedures and their profound medical consequences casually— so casually as to mandate the procedures for young pet companions with a broad brush stroke in a “one size fits all” approach. This is an excellent example of why politicians and animal activists must not be allowed to dictate how veterinarians practice their profession. It's dangerous and it's wrong." ....

# # #

TO MY READERS...I invite you to read the rest of her letter.  And to start thinking BIG PICTURE, not knee-jerk reacting to the occasional news stories...and the sad reality that, for both people and animals, there is suffering and death is an inevitable part of life.

OF NOTE [NOT at all part of Dr. Vanderlips letter, but perhaps relevant]: The lawsuit and horribly publicity about PETCO, based on "neutering bunnies without anesthesia"....a doctor friend of mine informed me that bunnies are highly intolerant of most general anesthesia, and their lives are far more endangered by general anesthesia than by the equivalent of a baby bunny bris.  This "scandal" was all over the news, shut down a lot of the PetCo stores that offered bunnies, and caused a lot of negative publicity, calls for picketing and shutting down of PETCO. 

While it should not surprise any of us, we tend to over-react to the media, which picks up stories that are "fed" to them, and frequently those doing the feeding have their own agendas and/or are maybe 'extremists.'  I mean, in Afghanistan, where women are regarded as "property"....and a woman mis-behaves, she might have her nose cut off....without anesthesia. 

When seen in the context of some of the world's problems, having our politicians wasting tax-payer money getting involved in decisions about how we are to treat our pets...it is not appropriate. 

THE MILITARY vs. MARIJUANA

A friend just forwarded me this article -- 10 Reasons the U.S. Military Should (Officially) Use Pot -- written by Penny Coleman.  Coleman is the widow of a Vietnam veteran who took his own life after coming home. Her latest book, Flashback: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Suicide and the Lessons of War, was released on Memorial Day 2006. Her Web site is Flashback.

A few YouTube clips on the subject are very compelling, including this one  about a man who was able to make it out of his wheelchair, thanks to medical marijuana.

And THIS ONE about a possible cure for various cancers through the use of hemp oil.  It is posted in 7 parts on YouTube.  Here is a link to Part 2.

Download the whole movie for free at http://www.phoenixtearsmovie.com

VIEW ALL 7 FILES AT http://www.youtube.com/chrychek

As with all medications (and foods) "Mary Jane" is not for everyone.  But, it's self-regulating. If it doesn't make them feel better, people don't use it.  Using it is a victimless crime. The biggest danger, IMHO, is when people mix it with alcohol, which is legal, btw.