Since we were on the subject of snakes yesterday, the next animal on my list of The World's Most Dangerous Animals is the Venomous Snake. According to Wikipedia there are over "2,900 species of snakes on the planet." Too bad we're not one of the countries who don't possess any whatsoever, Ireland, Iceland and New Zealand. Furthermore, "Of the 725 species of venomous snakes worldwide, only 250 are able to kill a human with one bite." If you get bitten by a snake, you should rush to the hospital. Do Not attempt to suck the venom out, cut the wound, or ice it. Head to the emergency room immediately. I found the subject on anti-venom particularly interesting, I guess because we live in the United States, where Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, and Cottonmouths reside.
I learned that in order to produce the anti-venom, scientists take the venom from Rattlesnakes, Copperheads and Cottonmouths and inject it into a horse (poor horsie), "in ever-increasing dosages" until the horse becomes immune to the venom. The mad scientists then draw blood from the horsie, separate the serum, purify, and freeze-dry it. They then return it to it's liquid state by adding sterile water - at this point it becomes anti-venom. I just hope you don't own a Cobra, Mamba or Taipan, those anti-venoms are species-specific.
Responsible for: An estimated 50-125,000 fatalities a year.
Hangs out in: Africa, Asia and North America.
Method of dispatch: Snakes are very fast and any part of the human body is a good place for a bite, seeing as the venom can flow into the bloodstream within minutes; although those near major veins and arteries will travel faster. Snakes use their venom to paralyse their prey. A fully grown king cobra can rear up so it looks a man in the eye; others can spit venom into the eye. Nasty.
Useful avoidance techniques: Unsurprisingly, most people come a cropper when they try to harass a snake or draw close to it. Snakes will usually only attack if they’re feeling threatened so the short answer is: stay away! Wear stout boots if hiking and check either side of paths. Don’t mess about looking under rocks or fallen vegetation as you’ll get more than you bargained for. If you come across a snake, back away very slowly, as it can strike to half its length and sudden movements are likely to alarm it.
As you may already know, June is GayPrideMonthintheUnited States. The start of gay pride month began with a proclamation from President Bill Clinton in 2000, the summer before President George W. Bush took office, and we've been celebrating it in June ever since. Whereas prior to 2000, pride parades, and festivities occurred throughout the year, with no set date in particular.
For the past three years, President Obama has issued a pride proclamation for the LGBT community. Let this month also remind you of the achievements he's made for our friends, family, co-workers, and citizens of this great nation who are gay.
Not once, did George W. Bush lift his hand to help us during the 8 years he held office, and I highly doubt any of the 2012 GOP presidential candidates are about to mention it either. Well.... maybe just one, Fred Karger, but the Republicans have disowned him (as is the norm), because he's GAY.
"Take pride in knowing you have a Democratic President in office, otherwise you could be sitting in prison, experiencing torture, and possibly death at the hands of a Republican one. Remember this when you're rights get taken away."
- Peter aka Blade7184
You can read the proclamation in it's entirety here.
Okay, I'll be honest. I haven't been a strong supporter of this, because I'm always fumbling with my phone while driving. I'll say it again, I text while driving, And so do many millions of other people around the world, primarily teens. After watching this video, I'm seriously re-evaluating how I use my phone while driving, and this includes multi-tasking.
In this UK public service announcement, a girl is texting her friend James, while her other friends are in the car with her. Within seconds, she's not only managed to kill her friends, but she's managed to kill several other people on the highway, including the parents of a baby and a child.
If you don't want to see the video, because you feel what I'm saying is rubbish, then your life, your family's, and your friends' lives are in your hands. After watching this video this morning, I can promise you now, I will never be texting while driving again. And if I'm driving with others, I will let another passenger text for me while I drive. Three weeks ago, a co-worker's son lost his God-daughter to texting and driving. It was really hard watching my co-worker grieve during this period. I can't imagine losing someone at the young age of 17, it is beyond anything I could ever comprehend.
Wow, yesterday I introduced you to the Six Degrees of Steak Doneness, and now I bring you this, The Egg Chart! The next time you're sitting at your local Denny's or Ihop, make sure the waiter understands how you like your eggs. And if he still doesn't get it, print this out, take it with you, and pull out your huevos! I'm sure he'll understand then. Hopefully he's a hottie. :-).
click to enlarge
And if you wish to see the degrees of doneness for your eggs, I found this useful guide online as well.
Last night, my partner Ryan, and I watched the final Battle Round of The Voice, and I'd have to say, I was really disappointed with the Judges this time around. I don't think they were thinking straight, or maybe they were so tired from a full day of coaching their teams, that the last round didn't matter to them as much.
Maybe I shouldn't be so harsh. Surprisingly, I felt Blake made the right decision this week, and I blatantly disagreed with Christina's and Cee Lo's choices.
It's all or nothing for these ladies and gents - next week is the Live performances. We'll get to see how well they were coached by their judges.
I have posted each week's Battle Rounds on my blog, so click one of the links below if you wish to see the battles for the first time or watch them again at your own leisure.
In the following video, Jeff Jenkins and Casey Desmond battle it out, singing, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John
I already knew who I wanted to win this round. I wanted Jeff to take this one home, but after watching Casey give him a run for his money, it left me speechless. They worked really well together and their chemistry was fantastic, but in the end I felt Jeff should take it home, because of his vocal ability. Adam Levine made the right decision, and went along with me on this. :-). Continuing from last week's record, I'm 11-2.
In the following video, Xenia Martinez and Sara Oromchi battle it out, singing, "I'll Stand By You" by The Pretenders
What a Hot Mess! Both of these girls were shy from the 'get-go.' It was evident in their coaching segment with Blake and his mentor, Reba McEntire. While I felt Sara Oromchi had this to win it, she didn't perform it well enough to take it home. Xenia wasn't any better either, but there's something about her voice that draws me to her. She's soft, but I believe with the right coaching, she can do more with her voice than Sara. I'm not sure if Blake is the right coach for the job, but he did agree with me on choosing Xenia for the win 12-2.
In the following video, Cherie Oakley and Lily Elise battle it out, singing, "Since U Been Gone" by Kelly Clarkson
I don't know what the hell Christina was thinking. Lily? Really? She was mediocre at best. I'm sorry, but it was so obvious Cherie won this round, all the other judges agreed as well. I do commend Reba McEntire for bringing up the fact that Cherie wrote a hit song for her. She's a true diva! As for the disaster that was Lily, I think Christina picked her over Cherie, because of the slutty outfit she was wearing, and not for her vocal incapability. She could have done so much more with Cherie, she was belting it out like nobody's mama. 12-3
In the following video, Emily Valentine and Curtis Grimes battle it out, singing, "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum
What a great way to end the Battle Rounds! Well, not so great, because the one I chose didn't cross Cee Lo's mind. But it was the greatest performance of the evening. Emily and Curtis ended their performance with a kiss, and what a kiss it was. We all knew Emily had a crush on Curtis, because she didn't stop saying it throughout the show last night, but the kiss was definitely unexpected. They were truly amazing together. I felt Cee Lo would've been better off with Emily, because of her vocal range. I thought she could take it further than Curtis, because he sings country, and country star usually stick to their own genre of music. They don't broaden their horizons, and use their vocal ability to move beyond that. Good job to both of them though. 12-4
Remember! Next week the show goes LIVE; Make sure to watch it!
This is what a co-worker found on her garage door this past weekend? A baby Water Moccasin (cottonmouth) - a very venomous snake! And another co-worker found a 4 or 5 foot snake on her newly minted deck, she's not sure which species it belonged to, but it terrified her.
Imagine coming home from the grocery store one day, and there's this slimy friend waiting to greet you. The thought is unimaginable, it would freak the hell out of me beyond belief. Come to think of it, I'm cleaning my garage out this weekend. Lord knows I'm creating a breeding ground for snakes.
Drought conditions and snakes coming out of hibernation are what's causing all of this. Not to mention, it's breeding season for these monsters. The most likely reason people are seeing snakes in their yards, is because they're looking for water and food. To learn more about the most-venomous snakes in Texas, you can visit A&M's Veterinary Medicine website to read this article, Venomous Snakes of Texas, and also, When The Snakes Come Marching In. These were very informative articles - better to be prepared, than not at all.
Ever go to a restaurant, order a steak, and you're never exactly sure how it's cooked, or wonder how much blood you'll find dripping off your plate?
Well... here's the chart of all cooking charts. You can now determine how precise your steak is cooked the next time you visit your local Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, or Texas Roadhouse. A little on the bloody side or the burnt side, you decide.
I know how to cook steaks, because of my countless years in the restaurant business, but for most folks, they have no idea. So print this out, take it with you, and the next time you learn your steak wasn't done to perfection, pull out your meat and show it to your waiter - hopefully he's hot. :-)
I actually posted this in May of 2007, but there is no time like the present to re-post one of my old posts, especially in a momentous occasion such as this. I did a few edits, due to it being 4 years since 2007. I'm so happy I found it; it took me almost an hour to find it on my old MySpace Blogs.
In times like these, Memorial Day shouldn't be treated like most national holidays. It deserves better.
For far too many people, Memorial Day is defined more by backyard cookouts and department store sales than by the memory of the servicemen and women who died defending this country. In this way, the day is much like the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving and Christmas - a national holiday diminished by commercialism and indifference.
This is no appeal to partisanship. The men and women of our armed forces are citizen soldiers, not members of sectarian brigades. They have sworn an oath to the nation, not to the Republican or Democratic parties. And they do their duty regardless of which political party controls the White House.
So it shouldn't matter whether you support or oppose U.S. involvement in Iraq or Afghanistan. On this Memorial Day, we all ought to honor the more than 5,000 Americans who have died in this conflict.
As Abraham Lincoln said of the Civil War dead in his Gettysburg Address, they gave their "last full measure of devotion" to this nation. So it isn't asking too much for us to take a day to remember them.
Ironically, while many of the politicians debating the U.S. role in Iraq and Afghanistan are well-known to us, the names of most of our war dead are not. For most Americans, they're just numbers in a growing list of men and women who didn't return home alive.
We owe it to their families and friends to pause on Memorial Day - not for a grilled hamburger or a department store sale - but to praise the courage and sacrifices of those who have died in Iraq. The debate that now rages between the Republican White House and the Democratically controlled Congress over U.S. involvement in Iraq shouldn't blind us to this responsibility.
If ever there was a time for the people of this country to find common ground, to stand together and put aside our differences, this Memorial Day is it.
The more I think about it, I'm so glad the new Wonder Woman series wasn't picked up. After seeing this hot mess today, the show was bound for a disaster.
The actress, the costume design, just about everything was going wrong when it was thrown out by NBC. I can't say much about the script, because I never read it, but after hearing from folks who have, I'm going to refrain from reading it. I've have such a high regard for David E. Kelly, that if I were to find out he wrote a hot mess, I would be disappointed.
And what is up with those shorts? The belt itself, covers the whole damn outfit! Ugh! Why can't we get Wonder Woman off the ground! The Justice League is nothing without Wonder Woman.
I'm sure by now every kid in America has grown up playing with some type of Nerf product. Growing up I used to play with the guns and sportballs, they were so much fun. Of course back in the 80's we didn't have quite the selection they do now. Watching this video brings back memories, it was definitely fun to watch.
Most of the toys are made of a foam-based material and are neon in color. Parker Brothers created the toy in 1969, according to Wikipedia, but didn't really take off until the 1980's and 1990's.
Caution: Watch as these kids partake in a violent nerf battle, but it's unlike any you've seen before. This one comes complete with blood and gore. Kudos to whoever put this together, though, it may not be suitable for children to watch. LOL. literally.
Yesterday I posted this really cute video of a child fearing his mother's wrath. He was so scared his mother was going to kill him, because he lost her camera in the snow.
This time a boy is so happy to find a Happy Meal toy he's always wanted. Too cute. The joys of being a parent...
Ever wonder how well our U.S. President is protected? Well the Daily Mail felt it was a great idea to share the news to the rest of the world, and all our terrorist friends. In article titled, "How Barack Obama's armour-plated Beast was grounded in Ireland: Let's hope it doesn't hit any speed bumps in London," the online news site provided a detailed image of President Obama's car, along with where his pump-action shotguns are stored. And since the image has already reached the entire hemisphere, let's take a look inside...
I'm sorry, but movies back in the 70's were so damn creepy, it would make your skin crawl. Seriously, you had the Amityville Horror, Halloween, The Exorcist, The Shining, Jaws, and even "made for TV movies," like "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark."
Due to Hollywood running out of ideas, they remade every movie I just mentioned with the exception of Jaws. Don't get me wrong, they've made countless of shark movies since Jaws, like the one I just mentioned 2 days ago, but none of them will ever measure up.
I'm writing this post, because the 1973 "made for TV movie," "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" was just remade, but at least it was directed by someone who knows how to make movies, Guillermo del Toro. If you have never seen any of his movies, you should. His movies, Pan's Labyrinth, and The Orphanage (which sadly, they're re-making), were so good, they put many of Hollywood's producers to shame. Ryan and I had the pleasure of watching The Orphanage last night, and it was exceptionally good. The movie leaves you appreciating the people you love and believing in them when things go wrong.
The remake which stars Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce is described by Rotten Tomatoes as a young girl who...
inadvertently unleashes a race of ancient monsters while exploring her father's 19th century mansion in this horror remake written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, and directed by newcomer Troy Nixey. Introverted Sally Hurst (Bailee Madison) has just moved in with her father, Alex (Guy Pearce), and his girlfriend, Kim (Katie Holmes), when she realizes that their sprawling estate holds its fair share of secrets. Descending into the depths of the house, Sally gains access to a secret lower level that has lain undisturbed for nearly a century, when the original builder vanished without a trace. When Sally accidentally opens the gateway that kept the creatures locked up tight, she realizes that in order to prevent them from destroying her family she must convince her skeptical father that monsters really exist. ~ Jason Buchanan
Watch the trailer here.
While the movie feels much like a Guillermo del Toro movie, watch the original 1973 made for tv trailer after the jump, it's really creepy.
I have organized my blogs with 3 days worth of postings, so if you wish to continue reading the days before that, and so forth and so forth, you can click the "Older Posts" button /\ /\ /\ right /\ up there.
There are 3 other ways you can find interesting topics to read as well.
*Clicking on any of the links under my "Favorite Categories" section on the left hand side of your screen
*Using the Google Search bar under the scrolling text.
*By choosing a date from the drop down list on the right hand side of your screen.
Hope you enjoy my daily posts, and hope to hear from you soon.
