] I travel a lot and one of my favorite destination lead
] through poisoned with radiation, so called Chernobyl
] "dead zone" It is 130kms from my home. Why favourite?
] because one can ride there for hours and not meet any
] single car and not to see any single soul. People left
] and nature is blooming, there are beautiful places,
] woods, lakes. There is no newly built roads, but those
] which left from 80th in fairly good condition

This is absolutely stunning, spellbinding.

Photoblogging Chernobyl

A Dutch virologist warned hospital workers and health officials in Bangkok that pigs which feed on chicken droppings could catch bird flu. In turn, the infected pigs could pass the bird flu to humans....

Bird flu can infect pigs - (United Press International)

] The RISUG technique in India and Canada
]
] An Indian Physician and researcher developed a refined
] method of male contraception that eliminates the scalpel,
] results in fewer complications and promises easier
] reversal than conventional techniques. By the summer of
] 2002, approximately 700 men will have had this procedure

Promising news on male contraception. Unfortunately, those of us in the US may never see it here because the pharmeceutical companies won't be able to make any money off of a treatment that can last for 10+ years (as compared to the money they make selling women "the pill" every month).

For more detail, also see http://www.malecontraceptives.org/methods/risug.htm

The RISUG technique in India and Canada

Promising news on male contraception. Unfortunately, we may never see it here in the US because the pharmeceutical companies won't be able to make any money off of a treatment that lasts for 10 years (as compared to the money they make selling women "the pill" every month).

RISUG is the newest technology of the potential vas occlusion methods. This contraceptive has completed Phase I and II clinical trials in India. Our research has convinced us that RISUG (formerly called SMA) is the most promising of the potential male contraceptives.

RISUG stands for Reversible Inhibition of Sperm Under Guidance, and is composed of a styrene malic anhydride (SMA) complexed with the solvent DMSO. RISUG has two contraceptive effects: partial blockage of the vas and molecular-level electrical charges. The positive and negative charge mosaic on RISUG's surface causes the membranes of passing sperm to rupture, rendering them incapable of fertilizing an egg.

Because RISUG does not completely block the flow of sperm through the vas deferens, it appears to have fewer of the negative side effects associated with vasectomies.

A single injection of 60 milligrams of RISUG can provide contraception for up to 10 years and possibly beyond. Smaller doses provide shorter periods of contraception. RISUG is readily removable. The compound can be removed by flushing the vasa deferentia with an injected solvent, either DMSO or a sodium bicarbonate solution. The team researching RISUG is also working on a noninvasive reversal technique, which uses massage, vibration and low electrical current. They have even shown that multiple injections and reversals are effective in primates.

Also a more succinct story at http://www.uottawa.ca/services/markcom/news/2002/020226-2-e.html

male contraceptive methods - vas devices - RISUG

Escher drawings made 3-D physical in LEGO blocks. AMAZING!

Escher's 'Ascending and Descending' in LEGO

A blog with interesting new links every day -- technology, social issues, quirky stuff; and a guest blog on the side that changes authors occasionally.

Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things

] A Simpsons parody of Douglas Adams'
] The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
] (With apologies to Douglas Adams and Matt Groening.)

My houseguests were laughing and laughing....

Bart's Guide To The Galaxy