Stressed Octopuses will eat their own arms IS A MISCONCEPTION...

You are asking about autophagy, a type of cannibalism where an animal eats part of it self.

Yes, this can occur in octopuses and I'm sorry to say that I have observed it myself. The traditional explanation is that this behavior is caused by stress. A few years ago two octopuses were shipped to me and they took 8 days to arrive. Needles to say they were DOA. Both octopuses had eaten some of their arms.

I've seen one of my deep-sea octopuses do this shortly after collection (catching an animal in a scallop trawl has got to be stressful!). I've also have had about 1/3 of a group of healthy 3 month old octopuses start doing this and this problem does seem more common in group cultures. Dr. Budelmann, at the University of Texas Medical Branch, believes that an infectious agent affect the octopuses nervous system and causes this behavior. I think it may be caused by any number of factors.

It is believed that it is caused by a virus/bacteria which can manage to take hold on a stressed octopus. The biting is said to be due to irritation and biting alleviates the affected area. An octopus can lose an arm without harm and regrow it. By biting it off, the octopus loses the infected arm and hopefully a healthy one regrows, but in captive situations, probably caused by bad water quality, the infection can't be shaken off. The stressed, infected octopus dies with its arms in tatters.

Are octopuses the only animals that do this? No, rats for example, will eat parts of themselves if stressed.

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Bisphenol-A in Plastic bottles, plastic utensils may reduce sperm count in men

A 'gender-bending' chemical used in food containers, baby bottles and baked bean tins has been linked to male infertility.

Bisphenol-A is used to harden plastics and is found in baby bottles, CD cases, plastic knives and forks and the lining of food and drink cans.
Because the chemical mimics the female sex hormone oestrogen, scientists had long feared it would interfere with the way hormones are processed by the body.
Now U.S researchers have linked the BPA chemical to poor semen quality in humans for the first time.

They reported in the journal Fertility and Sterility that Chinese factory workers exposed to high levels of the plastics chemical had low sperm counts.
Dr De-Kun Li, at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, said the troubling findings echoed studies in animals that linked the chemical with reproductive problems.

It follows his previous research in the same men that linked BPA exposure with sexual problems. His latest study was funded by The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
Andrea Gore, a toxicology professor at the University of Texas who was not involved in the research, called it an important but preliminary study.

She said the results 'are at least suggestive of the possibility that BPA may be one of the compounds that are causing some of these changes' in sperm.

The study involved 130 Chinese factory employees who worked directly with materials containing BPA and 88 workers who didn't handle it and whose exposure was similar to that of typical western men.

Low sperm counts were found in workers who had detectable levels of bisphenol-A in their urine. Poor sperm quality was two to four times more prevalent among these men than among workers whose urine showed no sign of BPA.

The lowest sperm counts were in men with the highest levels of BPA.

BPA in urine was linked with lower-quality semen even in men who didn't work with the chemical, although their average BPA levels were much lower than in the other group.
It comes just months after Professor David Melzer from Exeter University called for an urgent review into the safety of bisphenol A (BPA ).

The leading academic also urged manufacturers to cut down on BPA in food packaging and containers.

He told a briefing at the Royal Institution in London: 'Millions of pounds of this compound are being produced every day, but we still don't know how it gets into humans.
'I think small effects for large numbers of people matter and it's reasonable that a tiny proportion of the costs of BPA should be put to human drug trial-type assessments to settle once and for all whether this compound is bio-active in humans

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What is the meaning of google ?

Googol is the mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeros. The term was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner, and was popularized in the book, “Mathematics and the Imagination” by Kasner and James Newman. Google’s play on the term reflects the company’s mission to organize the immense amount of information available on the web.”

Goooooooooo,oooooooooo,oooooooooo,oooooooooo,oooooooooo,
oooooooooo,oooooooooo,oooooooooo,oooooooooo,ooooooooooGle

is indeed derived from Googol

10000000000,0000000000,0000000000,0000000000,0000000000,
0000000000,0000000000,0000000000,0000000000,0000000000.
Yes, that is 100 zeros!

Google is the most popular search engine on the planet, so much so that its name has become a verb. (As in, “to google.”) The term “google” was originally “googol,” a term meaning the number “1” followed by 100 zeroes, created by prominent mathematician Edward Kasner. It was meant to represent “a really, really big number,” which is the amount of information Google is supposed to be able access.

Cover up 9/11 Conspiracy Update

Reported yesterday on 9/11 conspiracy theories and a simulcast by Alex Jones and Jesse Ventura promoting a video of firefighters talking about the explosions they heard on the day. That discussion is still in progress, but there is also another that seems to be rising from the ashes.

According to reports, witnesses in the Defense Department say their testimonies have been manipulated and essential information omitted from the Inspector General’s report. One such piece is the existence of operation “Able Danger” which alleges that the lead hijacker was known about a year prior to the attack.

Atta is believed to have been the ringleader of the Sept. 11 hijackers who piloted American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center. Claims about how early Atta first tripped the radar of the Department of Defense date back to 2005, but those claims never made it into the Inspector General's report. The report was completed in 2006 and, until now, has been available only in a version with the names of virtually all of the witnesses blacked out.

A Fox News investigation managed to acquire an undoctored report and spoke to several of the witnesses who gave evidence. The witness told Fox News she was interviewed twice by a Defense Department investigator. She said she told the investigator that it was highly likely a department database included the picture of Atta, whom she knew under an alias, Mohammed el-Sayed.

"When it came to the picture, (the investigator) he was fairly hostile," the witness told Fox News. She said it seemed the investigator just didn't want to hear it. "Meaning that he'd ask the same question over and over again, and, you know, you get to the point you go, well, you know... it's the same question, it's the same answer."

She says the final report distorted what she said on purpose. Other witnesses also said that investigators were hostile and the interviews very intimidating. They said it seemed like they were trying to pressure the witnesses to change their story as they were afraid the Defense Department would take some heat in the investigation.

The Fox News investigation continues.


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Magic of Lemon

Today, I will uncover the magic of Lemons. Lemons - a fruit with a wonderful fragrance, great in food and beverages, but also very handy for multiple purposes around the home!

Lemons have been cultivated by humans for over a thousand years. The fruit in mentioned in tenth century Arabic literature, but was probably first grown in Assam, India.

Lemons are high in vitamin C, have an anti-bacterial effect and are thought to posess antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties. The juice consists of about 5% acid, which also makes them useful for a variety of household purposes.

Selecting and storing lemons

The best lemons are those that have smooth, oily skins and are heavy for their size. They should be bright yellow with no green tinges. Lemons will keep for up to a week at room temperature, two to three weeks refrigerated. Lemon zest (peel) can be frozen for months.

1 ) Ant deterrent

Pouring lemon juice around areas that ants frequent is said to repel them.

2 ) Air freshener

An equal amount of lemon juice and water added to an atomizer will create a wonderful synthetic chemical-free green air freshener for your home.

3 ) All purpose cleaner

Again, an equal amount of lemon juice and water added to a spray bottle is an effective kitchen and bathroom cleaner and can also be used on walls (spot test first).

A small amount of lemon juice can also be added to vinegar based cleaning solutions to help neutralize the smell of the vinegar.

4 ) Microwave

Heat a bowl of water and lemon slices in your microwave for 30 seconds to a minute; then wipe out the oven. Stains will be easier to remove and old food odors neutralized.

5 ) Fridge

Half a lemon stored in your fridge will help control and eliminate unpleasant smells.

6 )Chrome/copper/brass

Rub a lemon juice and baking soda paste onto chrome or copper, rinse and then wipe/buff with a soft cloth or paper towel.

7 ) Toilet

Mix 1/2 cup borax and a cup of lemon juice for a powerful toilet cleaner that will leave it smelling extra clean!

8 )Lime scale

Use a half lemon to clean the lime scale off a sink or taps/faucets; rinse well.

9 ) Laundry

For bleaching purposes, add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the rinse cycle and hang clothes outside to dry.

A teaspoon of lemon juice thrown into your wash can also help your clothes to smell fresher.

10 ) Dishes

A teaspoon of lemon juice added to your dishwashing detergent can help boost grease cutting power

11 ) Drains

Hot lemon juice and baking soda is a good drain cleaner that is safe to use in septic systems.

If you have a garbage disposal unit, throw in some lemon peel from time to time while it's working in order to keep it smelling fresh.

12 ) Chopping boards

Rub lemon juice into your wooden chopping board, leave overnight and then rinse. Wood chopping boards appear to have anti-bacterial properties anyway, but the lemon will help kill off any remaining nasties and neutralize odors.

13 ) Glass and mirrors

4 tablespoons of lemon juice mixed with half a gallon of water makes an effective window cleaner

14 ) Degreaser

Straight lemon juice can be used as a general degreaser

15 ) Furniture

2 parts olive oil or cooking oil mixed with 1 part lemon juice makes for an excellent furniture polish!

16 ) Hair

To lighten hair, dampen it with lemon juice and sit out in the sun for an hour. This does work, I tried it myself. Hey, it was the 80's!

I've read that the juice of a lemon mixed with one cup warm water makes for a great hair conditioner. It should be allowed to stay in your hair for a few minutes then washed off. Exercise caution if you have a sensitive scalp.

17 ) Cuts, stings and itches

A small amount of lemon juice pour onto minor wounds can help stop bleeding and disinfect the injury (it will sting a bit). Lemon juice applied to itches, poison ivy rashes and wasp stings is said to relieve discomfort.

18 ) Hands

The smell of fish can linger on your hands, even after scrubbing with soap - rubbing your hands with lemon juice will neutralize the smell and leave your hands smelling wonderful.

Isn't it incredible how we have so many environmentally harsh cleaning chemicals in our homes when nature already offers most of what we need! Have some helpful hints for using lemons in and around the home? Please add them below!