Blog Posts - aaron2aaron.weebly.com

Animals Are Awesome

9/18/2011

Sometimes when i get bored i like to study biology. Today i was reading about hyenas. Turns out the Spotted Hyena that everyone knows isn't the only one. There are in fact 4 different species: Spotted Hyena, Striped Hyena, Brown Hyena, and the AArdwolf.
In doing my research i decided to let you in on some cool animals. You may get bored with all the usual: Elephants, cats, dogs, bullfrogs, and red squirrls. So here are 10 animals i suggest you google or bing up some pictures, because they are pretty cool looking and you probably never heard of them... and sadly some are on the verge of dissappearing, and you may never have known they existed.
- Emerald Dove
- Red River Hog
- Variegated Squirrel
- Southern Marsupial Mole
- Eurasian Black Grouse
- Vulturine Guineafowl
- Yellow Eyed Penguin
- Purple Swamphen
- Lappet-faced Vulture
- Luristan Newt

hope you find them as cool as i did!

I Just Might be a Redneck

8/1/2011

To look at me and talk with me you wouldn't say to yourself "this guy is a red neck." Personally, i don't consider myself one compared to some of the hicks i know, but i have had my fair share of moments through life. Growing up in a small agricultural driven community, the red neck life isn't avoidable. So i've made a list of the things i myself have done or experienced that would put me in the red neck category. ;-)

- Made a pool out of a pick up truck with some tarp and a garden hose.
- I not only know what "tough truck" competitions are, i've been to them and watched my friends win.
- The song "Cotton Eyed Joe" has been played at every dance and wedding function that i've been to since it came to be.
- My dad has a boat....and it's only use is being filled with water for the kids to swim in.
- We have burned our yard, as opposed to mowing it.
- You can find a can of Raid pretty much anywhere in the house.
- I keep butter, sour cream, and other food containers for left overs.
- I've had chiggers on several occasions.
- I've cleaned my finger nails with a stick.
- Was kicked out of a store for using cattle prods on friends.
- My dad's tail lights where fixed with red tape.
- We filled up the lawn mower with gasoline we siphoned from the car...more than once.
- I've spray painted mine, and others, names on overpasses/train cars.
- Directions to my house include "turn off the paved road."
- Going to the bathroom at night has on several occasions involved shoes and a flashlight.
- I use a blanket instead of curtains for my bedroom window.
- I've been to a funeral where beer was put in the casket.
- I've gone camping in the backyard on several occasions.
- I've used none working appliances as storage containers.
- I've raced Lawn Mowers.
- I've ridden a sled that was attached to a pick up truck.
- "Jiggle the handle" is a common saying in all the homes i've lived in.
- There has been a point where we had a working tv on a none working tv.
- Walker Texas Ranger was one of my favorite shows growing up.
- I've used WD40 as fire starter.

It's good to laugh at yourself sometimes. Nothing wrong with being a little white trash or red neck.

Acid Rain

7/25/2011

    In recent years the debate about what to do with raising concerns for our pollution problems is slowly leading countries and their populations to find more environmentally friendly ways to do things. Unfortunately not enough people are convinced that all our pollution is doing much harm.
    I've decided to tell you a little bit about a problem that is 100% provable without a doubt among all scientists... Acid Rain. Acid Rain refers to when rain fall contains higher than normal amounts of acids, such as nitric acid and sulfuric acid, or the same acids being blown as dry matter in the wind like dust particles. The main source for the natural occurrence is volcanoes. The problem is with humans burning fossil fuels for running cars and power plants. All studies have shown when you reduce vehicular traffic and power plant emissions the areas acid rain effects drop like a rock, and even more astonishing is the atmospheric wind patterns that carry the stuff far and wide drop also. this means when you turn off a coal power plant in one city, everyone within hundreds of miles suffers less, water pollution drops, and trees grow stronger, while rust on cars and metal even becomes less!
    There are many problems that occur with us causing a large rise in acid rains. The 3 main problems are what I'm going to focus on here today. The first and most concerning is human health:
        - All the studies concerning humans and the inhalation of these particles from acid rains have shown to cause and increase in premature deaths due to heart and lung problems.
        - The impact on human health has shown that acid rain is causing us $50 billion a year on medical expenses, due to hospital admissions, life long disorders such as asthma and COPD, and even cancers and infant death.
    Secondly is the effect on forest life. Everything from the soil to the trees is effected badly due to increased acid rains.
        - It stunts tree growth and causes the leaves and needles to brown and fall off weeks ahead of their natural times.
        - Whole areas of trees will die off without any reason. And then when the forestry service or others go in and sample the soils and bark, they find elevated levels of the acids from industry. It is true that acid rain alone doesn't kill off huge areas of forest. It's the acid rain on top of all the stresses that trees must deal with on a day to day basis. The point is that we can't get rid of all the insects, harsh cold winters, or prevent droughts. BUT, we can take responsibility for putting on the straw that broke the camels back...Acid Rain.
        - Different soils are effected differently, but what seems to be the case is those soils on higher altitudes don't have the means to deal with our added concentrations of acid rains, causing the soils to be harmful to the plants, and small animal life that lives underground.
        The types of plants that due seem to resist acid rain are the agricultural plants that farmers are always fertilizing and paying close attention to. Our crops such as corn and beans don't suffer because of our care taking, but we can't fertilize the entire planet several times a year.
    The third and perhaps the biggest thing suffering from acid rain are our oceans. This is because it's getting all the concentrated doses of acid rain. With the rain falling more over the oceans than on land, plus all the streams that carry the acid rain to the rivers, and then to the oceans, dumping millions of tons of nitrogen oxide, ammonia, and sulfur dioxide each year into our marine world.
    Think of it this way... Lets ignore acid rain and think of it in a different light. Tell me if the following is a good idea.
   -- Take 400 tankers (trucks with an 8,200 gallon capacity) carrying ammonia, 400 with sulfur dioxide, and 300 with nitrogen oxide. And have them dump all that into the oceans every 365 days.... That's over 10 million gallons of this stuff being dumped into the oceans each year.... how is that not a bad thing?...
    Nearly every creature that has a shell is being effected, because it eats away the calcium they use to make it. Coral grows much slower and even dies due to the higher levels of acidity.
    Physically and mentally we're already contaminated. The longer we continue to pump this stuff into the atmosphere, the worse it will be.... so when do you plan to stand up for yourself and end this?

Pro Wrestling Stars Have a Thing For Expiring

7/3/2011

    When I say Pro Wrestling Star i don't mean gold medalists and Sumo guys. I'm talking about the "Superstars" of WWE, WCW, TNA, etc. Now that we have that clear, lets move on to the point of this blog.
    Recently you may have heard of Randy Savage, aka Macho Man, who died at age 58 standing 6'2" weighing 240 pounds. When you look at old wrestling clips of when he first started out it's not hard to see that he gained a lot of muscle. His natural build was lean and lanky, which was perfect for baseball where he started out. Now over twenty years later at age 58 he was massive. It was no surprise to me that they found his heart to be enlarged and in bad shape. Minor cuts and bruises don't kill people, bad hearts do.
    Starting from 1917, we will go through the causes of death of Pro Wrestling Stars. I'll go in order from least common to most common causes. To save time i wont give names and detailed accounts of how they died, but i'll place several sites at the end of this blog in case you get curious.
            In all there have been 95 deaths starting from the first in 1917 (Frank Gotch) and last being Randy Savage, as previously mentioned, this year.
    #12.) Ruptured Blood Vessel: 1 (happened while weight lifting)
    #11-9.) 3 way tie: Unknown causes, Murder, and Stroke = 3 (each)
            --Yes, i find it interesting that there are just as many murders as strokes. Especially strokes being the #3
    cause of death in the United States and murder being #15. So, if you use the US statistics vs Pro Wrestling             Statistics you find that as a pro wrestler you have over 3 times the normal chance for being murdered.
    #8-7.) Tie: Complications with surgery, and kidney problems = 4 (each)
            -- Kidney disease is the #9 leading cause of death in the US, so in my opinion there is no real reason to draw
    attention to this number.
    #6-5.) Tie: Vehicular Accidents, and Suicide = 6 (each)
            -- one was a plane crash, and he was the pilot. That's also a disturbing number of suicides considering in the     US it's not even a top 10 cause of death, and here it's tied for #6 with accidents, which is #5 in the US. As a Pro
    Wrestler you are 6 1/2 times more likely to commit suicide than the average American.
    #4.) Drug Overdose: 9
            -- This again is a very disturbing number, and also helps to prove my point for putting this blog up. The drugs     range from pain killers to cocaine. Showing that they seem to have a strong bond with Professional Wrestling. The     last one to OD was Andrew Martin, aka TEST, and was just 33 years old, in March of 2009. Drug use is in the
    "other" category which is a clump of things that cause less than 1% of deaths in the US put together, which             means Pro Wrestlers have a serious drug problem no matter how you slice it.
    #3.) Cancer: 10
        -- In the US cancer is the #2 leading cause of death. Although scary, this number is one of the few that is not         totally out of whack.
    #2.) Natural Causes: Those that have died of a heart attack at age 65+ (beings the average American Males first         heart attack is at age 66), and other causes such as sickle cell (1 guy), and diabetes (1 guy). = 16
        -- so whether they died do to an enlarged heart from years of drug use or not, once they hit 65 it's really hard to
    make a big conspiracy out of, so for this blog we'll call them all legit deaths.
    #1.) Heart Attack Before age 65: 30
        -- This is perhaps the the most disturbing number. Pro Wrestlers are the most likely to die of heart problems         before the average of any other occupation. Most of the 30 where not even 60! Nearly a dozen where under 40, and
    the youngest was Russ Haas at age 27.

        The lesson to take from this is that our Superstars are obviously out of control, and although awesome spectacles to look at, and awe inspiring to children and wrestling fans, they are in need of much help. Someone isn't doing their job if people are dying so obviously young from things that shouldn't even be a concern. I myself am a wrestling fan, and although i'm not a big fan, i still enjoy watching it at times, and i too find my self wishing i could look like them, but i know what they put themselves through and sometimes i feel a big guilty for supporting it, but then again when it comes down to it, they are making the choice... so how do you begin the argument with someone that is totally ok with what they are doing, knowing the risks they are taking? I suppose you start by making others aware.

some sites for more information:

WRESTLERS
http://ricknovaksr.tripod.com/wrestlinglife/id20.html
http://www.pwwew.net/people/dead.htm
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2004-03-12-pro-wrestling_x.htm

DEATH STATS
http://www.howtolivealongerlife.com/2009/07/leading-causes-of-death-in-us.html
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0779147.html
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm

Can You Live to be 100!?

6/4/2011

This is a survey to see if you have it in you to become a Centenarian (a person that is 100 or more years old). Not many people do. With 400,000 people at the age of 100 or more, and there being 6.8 billion people on the planet, that’s 1 in 17,000 people are over 99 years old! So if you break it down in your chances of actually living to be that age, it could be a little more or a little less than the 0.000058% you see here. What the actual number of people living are (world wide) is 34.7 out of 100,000; in other words you have a 0.000347% chance. If you can’t tell already, not many of us are going to be making it. So if you plan on living to 100, you better have it right.
There is a theorem out there that states living to be over 90 years old is 50% genetics (the part you can’t change), 25% science (what you eat, how you exercise, etc) and 25% determination/attitude (the happier you are, the better off you are).

The following survey is based off of statistics, both on death rates, and studies of those that are in fact 100 years or older, and interviews with several people over 90 years old; Many of them where quoted saying “don’t let the little things bother you” and “be active.”

So in order to see what kind of chance you have at living to be 100, you’ll need a piece of paper, and something to right with. This way you can keep score along the way. You’re starting number is based upon when you where born, your ethnicity, and your gender. For anyone other than blacks and whites in the United States I don’t know what to tell you. Haha. Hispanic and Asian ethnicity usually is a few years under Whites, as the Blacks. I also know that for native Americans life expectancy has changed the least amount over the last 50 years.

Anyway, as you go down and read the questions simply add or subtract the number of years given at the end of each question. You will do one of 3 things: add, subtract, or stay the same; depending on how you answer. If you have a chance to add by giving a yes answer, but you say no, then you stay the same. If you have a chance of subtracting by saying yes, but you say no, you again stay the same. Only change your number if your answer is the answer that requires you to change. For example the first question only allows you to add 5 years if you say yes. If you say no or don’t know the answer then you stay the same.

Since I was born in 1986, and am a White Male, I will start at age 74. Since only 1 of my grandparents (not including greats!) lived to be beyond 80, then answer for me is NO. So I stay at 74 and move on to the next question…so on and so forth until the end. There you will have a good depiction of your chance to live to be 100, as of right now. Who knows, maybe you’ll move to the country, or move to a city, or get shot at age 50 in which case this survey doesn’t matter.

Good luck!
    *if you don't know your body fat you can go to this site which i found to be the most accurate (within 2%).
        http://www.healthcentral.com/cholesterol/home-body-fat-test-2774-143.html

Starting number:

White Male born in United States before 1960           = 72      Black Male       69

White Male born in United States before 1990           = 74      Black Male       71

White Female born in United States before 1960       = 78      Black Female    75

White Female born in United States before 1990       = 80      Black Female    78

Due to the rise with many health issues, ranging from lung problems to obesity, for the first time the new generation has a lower expectancy from the previous. Therefore if you where born after 2003, you lose a year from the “born before 1990” generation. If you where born from 1991-2002 you stay the same as the “born before 1990” generation.



Female’s only          Males only

Family History

1.       Did 2 or more of your grandparents and/or parents live to or beyond 80years? (yes +5)

2.       Did any parent, grandparent, or sibling die of heart problems or stroke

         before age 50?                                                                                                (yes -4)

3.       Did any parent, grandparent, or sibling die of heart problems or stroke

          before age 60?                                                                                                 (yes -2)

4.       Among your parents and grandparents; did any suffer from a type of cancer,

         or disease such as diabetes, thyroid disorder, asthma, or chronic bronchitis?          (yes -3 for each case)

Marital Status

5.       Are you married?                                                                                  (yes +4)

6.       Are you completely happy with whom you are married to?                       (yes +2)

7.       Did you have a child (suffering no permanent problems) after age 35?      (yes +2)

8.       Did you have a child (suffering no permanent problems) after age 40?      (yes +2)

9.       Are you sexually active at least once a week (with the same partner)       (yes +2)

10.      Are you over 25 years of age and unmarried?                                       (yes -1 & for each decadeunmarried)

Economic Status

11.   Is your family income over $60,000 per year?                                        (yes +2)

12.   Have you been poor for the greater part of your life?                               (yes -3)

Physique / Exercise

13.   *Are you over weight (female=30% body fat, male=25% body fat)              (yes -1 & for every 2%)

14.   Is your stomach measurement greater than your chest measurement?      (yes -2 for every inch)

15.   Are you over 40 years of age and not overweight?                                    (yes +3)

16.   Do you exercise regularly and moderately (ex: Jog 3 times a week for

       20min each time; lift weights 3 times a week for 20min each time, or walk)           (yes +3)

17.   Do you exercise regularly and vigorously (exam. Jog 3 times a week for

       45min each time; lift weights 3 times a week for 45min each time; go for walks,

       sweat a lot and reach a strong heart rate)                                             (yes +5)

18.   Is your job active (farmer, construction, teaching, nurse, etc.)               (yes +3)

Alcohol

19.   Do have 1 drink of alcohol a day 3 times a week or less?                       (yes +1)

20.   Are you a heavy drinker? Drink more than 4 drinks at a sitting?               (yes -3)

21.   Do you drink on average more than the equivalent of 8 beers a week?      (yes -5 to -10 [subtract 5, and then                   subtract 1 for ever 2 beers over 8 per week, max is subtracting 10 aka 18 beers or more in a week)

22.   Are you a none drinker?                                                                                    (yes +2)

Smoking
If you answer yes to #23, ignore #'s 24 and 25, if you answer yes to #24, ignore #25
23.   Do you smoke or have you smoked 2 or more packs a day for over a year? (yes -6)

24.   Do you smoke or have you smoked 1 to 2 packs a day for over a year?    (yes -3)

25.   Do you smoke or have you smoked 1 pack per day or less for over a year? (yes -2)

26.   Do you or have you regularly smoked a pipe or cigars for over a year?     (yes -2)

27.   In addition (smoking section) for every 5 years you’ve smoked -2

28.   Do you live with a smoker, and are in the same room/area as them when they

       smoke, at least once a day?                                                                   (yes -1)

Disposition

29.   Are you a reasoned practical person (or people think of you this way)?     (yes +2)

30.   Are you aggressive, intense, or competitive (or are thought of this way)? (yes -2)

31.   Are you basically happy and content with life? Scale 1-5

(1 a little, 2 sometimes, 3 about half the time, 4 for the most part, 5 completely)     (yes +1 to +5)

32.   How often are you feeling unhappy, worried, or guilty? Scale 1-5

(1 seldom, 2 off and on, 3 about half the time, for the most part, 5 almost always) (yes -1 to -5)

Health Care

33.   Do you have regular medical checkups and dental care? (twice a year or more) (yes +3)

34.   Are you frequently ill or have suffered from a severe illness such as:
Malaria, Lyme Disease, a stroke, a heart attack, hepatitis, herpes, scarlet fever, cancer, etc.     (yes -2 for each)

35. Do you suffer from a Childhood or Long Lasting illness such as:
Asthma, Type 1 Diabetes, Psoriasis, Autism, etc.                                            ( yes -3 for each)

36.   Do you eat plentiful servings of fruit and vegetables (one or more a day)?

Or take vitamins (including a B vitamin) 3 times a week or more?                     (yes +3)

37.   Do you drink 5 to 10, 8oz glasses of water per day?                                 (yes +1)

38.   Do you drink 1 or more 8oz glasses of milk per day or take a calcium +D
        vitamin at least twice a week?                                                                (yes +1)

39.   Do you eat meat, eggs, and/or dairy light (less than 4 servings a weak)?   (yes +1)

40.   Do you eat meat, eggs, and/or dairy heavily (more than 4 servings a weak)? (yes -1)

41.   Do you drink a beverage high in caffeine more than 4 times a week?        (yes -1)

42.   Do you drink a beverage high in caffeine once a day or more?                 (yes -1)

Education

43.   Do you have a high school education?                                                     (no -2)

44.   Have you attended 4 years of schooling beyond high school?                    (yes +1)

45.   Have you attended 5 years or more schooling beyond high school?           (yes +3)

Environment

46.   Have you lived most of your life in a rural setting (outside city limits)?      (yes +4)

47.   Have you lived most of your life in an urban setting (within city limits)?     (yes -2)

48.   Do you work with harmful chemicals or radiation?                                   (yes -2)

49.   Do you wear sunscreen/moisturizer when you’re going to be in the sun
       for more than 20min at a time?                                                               (yes +1)

Sleep / Temperature

50.   Do you sleep more than 9 hours a day on average?                                 (yes -5)

51.   Do you sleep less than 7 hours a day on average?                                   (yes -5)

52.   Is your home’s thermostat set no more than 72°F most of the year?          (yes +1)

53.   Is your home’s thermostat set no more than 68°F most of the year?          (yes +2)

        That's the survey. I hoped you had fun. Again this is not 100% correct, obviously. There really isn't a way to be fully sure. Environmental issues and the actions of others can't be controlled enough to ever determine your true chances of survival. But based mostly on what you yourself can control, this survey should give a good idea as to where you stand on longevity.

Fun fact: If you live in one of these 5 states, you have a greater chance of living to be 65 years old or better, these are the states and the chance you have of living to be 65 if born in them:
Florida 18.1%, West Virginia 15.6%, Pennsylvania 15.6%, Iowa 15.2%, North Dakota 15%

Chocolate and the Dog

5/2/2011

   Many of us have grown up with pets. Most of us had a dog or cat, and those of us with dogs probably heard somewhere down the road that one of the deadliest things to give a dog is chocolate. Is this really true? To answer the question in full, and help you understand better what is actually going on, we must first address what chocolate is and how our systems react to it.
   Chocolate is processed from seeds of the cacao trees. These seeds contain compounds called methylxandthine. It includes many substances, but the 2 we will be focusing on are caffeine and theobromine. Both of these substances are found in chocolate, and react badly upon the systems of animals in the Canidae family. So, to save you the headache of going into taxonomy and what the key characteristics are for filing an animal in the Canidae family, i'll simply list a few examples: foxes, dingos, wolves, and domestic dogs.
   The animals in this family produce natural compounds that are blocked out by theobromine and caffeine. Even though in humans it induces a type of euphora, it can cause a dog to vomit and have diarrhea in small doses, and in moderate to large amounts will cause their heart to race, their muscles to tremor, and in some cases seizure and die.
   Now before you throw out all your chocolate or beat your children for leaving it in the dogs path know that on the top 4 candy holidays (valentines day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas) between 150 and 200 dogs are hospitalized due to chocolate consumption, and only 1 will die. In most cases the dogs that do lose their lives are either older with a weakened heart to begin with, or small like chahuahuas and beagles.
   The danger level for chocolate can be usually determined by 3 key factors. #1. the size of the dog vs, the amount of chocolate eaten. less than four ounces has been known to take the life of dogs under 10 pounds. #2. the age of the dog. Older dogs will have weaker systems, the reaction is comparable to an elderly person using cocaine. Although the thought is funny, in reality someone over 70 is going to have a much more dangerous reaction to cocaine than a 25 year old. #3. the most important factor happens to be the amount of natural cacao in the chocolate. Unsweetened baking chocolate contains over 6 times the amount of theobromine than milk chocolates.
   Though the fear of losing a dog to chocolate can sometimes be exaggerated we still need to be very careful. A handful of M&M's will most likely only cause the dog a little discomfort for awhile, or even cause them to be a bit energetic due to the heart rates, and of course poop more than we'd like them to. But we must remember that it is toxic to them no matter how you slice it. When in doubt, go to the vet. If anything they'll give the dog some charcoal to help absorb some of the toxin and send you and puppy on your way.

Lightning!

4/29/2011

            3,153,600,000… That’s a pretty big number. That’s the average amount of lightning bolts that strike the earth every year! Remember that this doesn’t include the flashes in the sky; this is only the strikes that occur. I find that fascinating! That becomes over 8 million strikes a day!

            What is lightning? A.) Zeus throwing them from cloud tops, B.) Thor smashing his hammer into a giant anvil, C.) Serpents, or D.) Thunder Bird.

            If you chose any of these than you are wrong like our ancestors. However, there are still many questions as to why lightning occurs. We know that it is electricity, and that it happens most often when ice and water move around in the atmosphere causing a build up of electric charges. The opposite charges of things grounded to the Earth, if not the Earth itself, causing streams of electric sparks to shoot together causing a large FLASH and BOOM. Despite all the information we have on how lightning occurs, we still are left knowing less than half of the information. For there are 3 other types of lightning we are just beginning to understand, and how it forms on other planets without water vapor to begin with is an even bigger mystery.
            As far as the characteristics go for lightning, we happen to know a lot. For instance, we know the speed at which lightning travels, and that it is far more attracted to metals than other elements. Lightning reaches speeds of up to 60,000 miles per hour! It has been known to strike at distances of over 10 miles!
            In Colorado there was a man riding his bike past a little league game. There was a storm 15 miles away. As he past the baseball game on his way home, he was struck by a bolt of lighting seemingly out of thin air! He had been hit from 15 miles away. This is the longest strike on record.
            Most bolts of lighting are about as wide as your fingers, but can be just as round as a large tree! These massive bolts of lightning out shine even the brightest of lights. Imagine one hundred, 100 watt light bulbs… Pretty bright huh? Well now imagine one hundred thousand, 100 watt light bulbs!!! Now that’s bright. But that STILL isn’t enough. Lets take that 100,000 and multiply it by 100! Yep that’s right, the average flash of a lightning strike is the equivalent of 10 MILLION, 100 watt lightbulbs. This bright light carries quite the punch, also.
            To explain this, you must understand that it’s not the “volts” that kills a person, but the amps. The amps is the measurement of electricity passing through in a given second. Volts are just part of the measurements, but it’s the amps pushing the volts that matter even more. For instance: a toaster has about 100-200 volts and 5-10 amps. This won’t kill a person. It would be equivalent to being shocked by an electric fence with 500-2,000 volts and 1 amp. This is far from deadly to the average person. The average starter motor in a car is about 120 amps.
            To answer the question in a nutshell, typically anything over 15,000 volts can be threatening and anything over 65 amps. This is nothing compared to the average bolt of lightning, running on 100 million volts and 10,000 amps!!! This is billions of watts of electricity in a split second. The average lightning strike holds more power than all the electrical generating plants in the USA in that split second, but since this only lasts for about .00001 of a second, the bolt of lightning would only power a lightbulb for a month.

            A strike is so fast we don’t even realize that there is actually more than one strike taking place! This information has only been recently coming about with use of better photography. The average lightning strike is actually 10-20 strikes in a split second. An individual stroke is far too fast for us to see, but all the strikes together last just long enough for it to look like a flicker.
            The electricity travels so fast that the energy shoots right through the object it strikes, and it’s converted to heat energy. Although it’s not known how humans and other animals can survive such a shocking experience, this does help us understand a little more as to how so many have walked away from being struck. Even though the bolt is carrying millions of volts with thousands of amps, the person is more or less being burned, as opposed to shocked.
            Temperatures in the path of a lightning bolt have been measured as high as 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit! To put that into perspective, that’s 10 times the boiling point of Iron, and 5 times hotter than the surface of the sun! This high level of heat expand and contract the air particles around the bolt in an instant, and causes the intense sound waves known as thunder. Since sound travels slower than light you can use this to help measure the distance you are from a lightning strike. When you see the strike start counting, and for every 5 seconds you count that’s about 1 mile. So if you count to 10 that means you are 2 miles from the strike.

            Lets tackle some myths about lightning by answering a few common questions:

#1.) What are the types of lightning?

            Well there are a few we are just starting to understand, but the three main kinds are intracloud, cloud-to-ground, and intercloud. Intra cloud is when lightning occurs in a cloud and stays in that same cloud (from our view it looks as though a cloud has just flashed). Cloud-to-ground is what we refer to as a lightning strike (this is the most dangerous). Intercloud is when lightning travels across gaps between clouds (these are the “veins” we see crawling across the sky).
            There are a few others you may have heard of, but they are not actually different from the 3 I mentioned, they are simply “looks” that have been given nick names and over time people have confused them to being different kinds of lightning. The 2 most common being heat lightning and colored lightning. Heat lightning is simply distant intracloud lightning that occurs when it’s hot out, leading people to believe it’s different, sometimes appearing red or orange because of the location on the horizon, just like when the moon looks orange and red. It doesn’t actually change color and style, it just seems that way. Colored lighting looks different colors, but that’s all relative the lighting conditions, again just like the moon.

#2.) Lightning never strikes the same place twice.
            HAAA! Why not? Of course it does. The Empire State building was struck 3 times in one storm this month! Yes, “this month” April 13th, 2011, and has averaged 25 strikes a year since it was built.

#3.) If it’s not raining, or not cloudy than I’m safe from being struck.
            Did you not just read the story of the man struck from 15 miles on a clear day?

#4.) My tires save me from being struck or shocked, because they are rubber and separate me from the ground.
            HAHAHAHA, don’t make Zeus laugh. An inch of rubber does you no good, 4 or 5 inches wouldn’t keep you from being struck. But, the car is still safe because the lightning will travel through the metal of the car and exit through the rims STRAIGHT THROUGH THE TIRES and into the ground. This is why when cars are struck by lightning (which has happened on several occasions, some you can see on youtube I’m sure) the tires blow out.

#5.) After being struck by lighting, the victim stays electrified for some time.
            Sure they do…. By all means don’t give a person that was just struck by lightning CPR and first aid…. We’ll see how long they live. TOUCH THEM! I already told you that the electricity passes through to the ground, and most of the energy is converted to heat anyway. You wont even receive a light static shock for touching a victim.

            Florida is the lightning capital of the world. It receives 3 times the lightning than any other place in the world, and 10% of all lightning strike victims are in Florida.

            Lastly: “what are the odds of being struck, or killed by lighting?”

            Well there are a lot of statistics out there. The key is to remember a few things. The odds are always going to differ, if you are outside compared to inside. So even though the chances of an average person being struck this year are 1 in 750,000 if you are outside you increase that chance to 1 in 1,000. That’s quite a difference. Secondly, not everyone struck is killed, as I mentioned before. The odds of being killed when struck are 1 in 6. Also your odds for being struck are greater when there is more lighting. For instance if you live in the following states your odds are 25% greater than the others: Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri. This means here in Iowa we have a 1 in 500,000 chance of being struck, because we have more lighting strikes per storm; raising our odds to 1 in 750 if we are outside. If you live to 80 years old your chances are 1 in 6,250.
            Statistically men make up 83% of the victims. Through studies they have shown that there is no real biological difference that make people more prone, only brains. Meaning those with strong egos and no fear of the lightning, will be met with a bang.

            Some people have been struck on several occasions. There was a woman who was struck 4 times, twice inside her house (once washing her hands, and a second while on the phone with her daughter). The record was a Park Ranger that was struck 7 times throughout his life. He was in a vehicle two of the times, and open to the elements the other 5, once he was even fishing. Lessons to be had from people like this…. Stay inside, off the phone, away from windows, and avoid using water during storms…and for goodness sake, don’t go fishing!

Living In Space

4/16/2011

    These days the Space Industry suffers from budget cuts. In some cases that's ok. In others, it seems very counter productive. In Honor of our Astronauts and next week being the mark of 2 mile stones in space age history: Sunday the 17th will be the 34th anniversary of the Surveyor III launch. This was the first spacecraft to sample the surface of the moon. 2nd is Monday will be the 40th anniversary of Salyut 1, the first space station (this is also the day that Einstein died in 1955....scientist see no correlation.).
   So, with that in mind, here are 7 interesting facts you probably didn't know about "the next frontier / the great beyond."

#1. The average astronaut grows over an inch while in space. This is due to the decreased pressure on the body's joints and bones.
#2. The heart shrinks, you sinuses swell, and your face gets puffy and red. This is all due to the "fluid shift" which is caused by not having gravity. Here on Earth, gravity is constantly pulling down on us, so our body works hard to counter by forcing fluids up to keep our bodies in balance. Therefor, without gravity pulling so hard on the fluids, they are all forced up, making the heart have to work less, the sinuses get full of gunk, and the extra blood in the head causes swelling, redness, and headaches.
#3. Studies have shown that no astronauts snore while sleeping in space. Even if they snore hear on Earth!
#4. If your space suit is breached, or your helmet breaks while in outer space several things happen, and some don't. For instance you wont die immediately, and you will not explode. However, the water on your eyes, in your nose, and mouth will boil. Also when the suit is breached astronauts are told do breath out, and NOT hold their breathe.... unless they want their lungs to rupture due to the sudden decompression. (all this was actually proven when in 1965 an astronauts space suit failed and he was exposed for 15 seconds.) It would take about 2minutes before you died in space, due to the low temperatures, and lack of oxygen.
#5. No astronaut has died in space...yet. All 18 deaths have occurred within the atmosphere during reentry and launch... So stay here, or there, and your chances are better..
#6. A survey was done on cosmonauts (soviet/russian astronaut) that spent long durations in space. They said the 2 things that where hardest to readjust to after getting back to Earth was lose of strength (due to muscle atrophy simply walking and raising your arms can be hard) and everything falls when you let go of it.
#7. After spending a lot of time and money developing a way for astronauts to pee while in space, and not have it fly all over the place, they ended up giving them diapers.

   So, having second thoughts about venturing to the moon? Or is it all worth the risk? Some say the second you are looking down at the earth, as you would the moon from home, it all becomes worth it.

Nuclear Threat 101

4/13/2011

Nuclear weapons are all over this world, and every country and creature is at risk. So i decided to answer a few common questions about Nuclear weapons in today's terms.
     - What is a nuclear bomb?
     - Who has the bombs?
     - Who is at highest risk for being bombed?
     - What actually happens when you are bombed?
     - How many would it take to turn us all to the stone age? or worse...?

What is a nuclear bomb?
            In a nutshell, it is a bomb that has a blast powered by nuclear fission, or a combination of fission and fusion.
            The bombs weigh in on average around 2 tons. Inside this 2 ton warhead is an unfortunately simple yet precise sequence of easily achievable events that cause a huge chain reaction leading to explosions on a cataclysmic scale.
The bomb involves a detonation of plutonium to split apart release a massive amount of energy in an instant. This energy shoots into the second part of the devise that houses Uranium and Lithium. A reaction is initiated and as this feeds larger and larger (in an instant) a thermonuclear fireball is the outcome.

Who has the bombs?

For conventionally large bombs (meaning all except Nuclear Warheads) there are 18 countries (excluding the nuclear countries) that have ballistic missiles – a high speed long range missile that are about 2 kilotons ( 1:7^th the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima). 17 of the countries have ballistic missiles that range between 50 and 500 miles. They are as follows: Afghanistan, Armenia, Bahrain, Belarus, Egypt, Greece, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Libya, Slovakia, South Korea, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and United Arab Emirates. The 18^th is Saudi Arabia with a range of 1,600 miles.

There are officially 10 countries that pose a Nuclear Threat. 8 have confirmed stockpiles, 2 of them being operational, 1 has confirmed ability, but unknown stockpile, and 1 is in development. They are as follows: Russia and US each have 5,000+ operational Nuclear Warheads, and together over 20,000 in stock. France 350, China 200, U.K. 200, Israel 80, Pakistan 60, India 50, Korea has the capability and a suspected stockpile of 1-10. Iran is working hard on a nuclear program that is quite developed, and this is becoming a very big issue.

- Who is at highest risk for being bombed?

As far as those at risk of being hit with a true Nuclear warhead goes; the top 10 countries with the highest risk are those 10 that are capable of it. Currently China has pointed more missiles towards us, and we have been pointing at Russia (and them at us) since the end of the cold war over 18 years ago!

China, Russia, France, U.K., and the US all have what is called a “Global Reach.” This means with their land, air, and sea abilities they can hit any country in the world with a Nuclear Bomb.

From launch to explosion it would take anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending where on the planet the bomb was launched.

- What actually happens when you are bombed?

And

- How many would it take to turn us all to the Stone Age? Or worse...?

I’ll start off answering the question by answering another question you may have: how many nuclear bombs would it take to destroy the world? The answer is a several part question. Let me explain: The bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima was old school compared to the warheads of today. It would take 30,000 Hiroshima equivalent warheads to cause an “Armageddon.” With that in mind, the record holder is much larger. It would take the equivalent of 3,000 bombs to be detonated in 1 area to destroy 95% of life on Earth.

With today’s most advanced thermonuclear warheads, the hydrogen bombs, it would take 100 spread out over 10 million square miles (the us is a little over 3 million) to also destroy 95% of life on Earth. This is because of the Radioactive Fallout Effect.

Lets say the largest bomb lands in the middle of Sioux City… Everyone within ½ mile of the explosion will be gone (inside or outside, for the bomb cause a crater, killing anyone in a bomb shelter within ½ of the balst). Within 3 ½ miles of the blast, 99% will die within the first few hours.

After 48 hours: 90% of everyone within 10 miles will die, 50% in the 10-20 mile range will die, and 50% within 40 miles (downwind) will suffer heavy radiation sickness leading to 75% dying within a few months. 1 in 75 people within 125 miles of the blast will suffer significant to mild radiation sickness (depending on the winds).

Survivors within the 20 mile range will suffer from the following: Hair loss, Eye damage, lymph tissue damage, massive white blood cell loss, significant bone marrow damage, and ulcerated organs. Anyone within the 40 mile range will have a 2-10 times more likely for Thyroid, Breast, and Leukemia cancers. Anyone in the 125 mile range will still be at double to triple the risk for all sorts of diseases and cancers.

There are plans to reduce the number of warheads for both the US and Russia to between 1,700 and 2,200. I guess that’s a start.

Quote from a Hiroshima survivor "One after another they were almost unrecognizable. The skin was hanging from their hands, from their chins; their faces were red and so swollen that you could hardly tell where their eyes and mouths were."

Good movies involving a nuclear apocalypse threat or aftermath that you may enjoy include: The Day After, The Postman, Mad Max 2, and War Games.

Rights for All

3/26/2011

   I was once asked the question: "If you could have all Americans memorize one part of U.S. written history or law, what would it be?" I said: The Bill of Rights, aka, the First 10 Amendments of the Constitution of the USA. The reason is simple, because everyone should know them and have them readily available. I personally have a book that is a copy of the constitution, declaration of independence, and the articles of confederation. Also i have a magnet on my refrigerator that is of the Bill of Rights. So i, and anyone else in the house, can look at them whenever they please and be reassured that they have these rights.
   So as follows I'll give you the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution of our country, and you yourself can decide what they represent. Although, anyone that can read should feel they are very straight forward.

First 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution (The Bill of Rights)
I.   Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

II.   A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

III.   No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

IV.   The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

V.   No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

VI.   In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed; which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

VII.   In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States than according to the rules of the common law.

VIII.   Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

IX.   The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

X.   The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

   These 10 Amendments were ratified effective on December 15th, 1791.
   Give credit to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. That's not to say many others didn't have their parts, and that if it wasn't for these 2 others wouldn't have come along and done the same thing. But it went the way it did, when it did, because these 2 men feared the government could be too powerful and take away our civil liberties and rights at will. They worked very hard in a time that never had the back of a constitution like this before, to give us these guarantees.

   That's not to say the Magna Carta and Petition of Right were not great in their time, but there wasn't a Constitution to this magnitude. Our Constitution has made the standard for all laws in all countries since it came to be.

   Now if you noticed that Article II (the right to keep and bear arms) doesn't say "in war time". And it says this right "shall not be infringed". That means it cannot be broken, aka, taken away. If you take this right away from the American people, then what is to say our freedom of speech and peaceful assembly can't be taken? It's these 2 freedoms that is making this such a hot debate around the country to begin with! Once you've changed one of The Bill of Rights, it will become much much easier to change others. Soon after we will have lost our freedom.
   Article 4 (unreasonable/unwarranted searches and seizures of property) is one that i believe has been broken by the search procedures done at airports. "random" security checks is NOT a reasonable search, and never do they give a precise description of what they are looking for. They have taken things to a whole new level of being invasive of personal being and treating people like security threats when they are not a REASONABLE threat to the security of the other people on the plane and airport. Why not make the procedures mandatory on buses, taxicabs, and entering the damn mall!? And on top of that, a majority of the personal objects they obtain are fucking ridiculous and not a "probable" threat to begin with.

   I have plenty of opinions on how other amendments are being stretched and flopped on a daily basis also, but i felt i should mention those two, being the time we're in.

“The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”
-- Albert Camus (1957 Nobel Prize for Literature)

   "There are only two kinds of freedom in the world; the freedom of the rich and powerful, and the freedom of the artist and the monk who renounces possessions”
-- Anais Nin (Author)

   "Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.”
-- Benjamin Franklin (Statesman, Scientist, Philosopher, Printer, and Inventor.

   "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”
-- Martin Luther King (Baptist Minister and Civil-Rights Leader)

   "There is no such thing as a little freedom. Either you are all free, or you are not free.”
-- Walter Cronkite (Journalist, and News Anchor)

   “Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. It passes my comprehension how human beings, be they ever so experienced and able, can delight in depriving other human beings of that precious right.”
-- Mahatma Gandhi (Philos