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]]> http://goodnews.ws/2010/03/11/rinasci-oggi-goodnews-ti-regala-un-ora-di-sviluppo-personale-con-un-coach-di-hrd/feed/ 0 http://goodnews.ws/2010/03/11/human-cheese-ma-dont-have-a-cow-says-her-breast-beats-the-beasts/ http://goodnews.ws/2010/03/11/human-cheese-ma-dont-have-a-cow-says-her-breast-beats-the-beasts/#comments Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:58:13 +0000 goodnews http://goodnews.ws/?p=13815 No matter what the city says, Lori Mason insists the breast milk she supplied her cheese-making husband is more wholesome than anything on the shelves at Whole Foods. Her milk is 100 percent organic, free range, and foie gras-fed, she told The Post. “I eat healthier than your average cow and I’m not pumped full of steroids!” Mason said. When Mason’s husband, Daniel Angerer, blogged about making some of his wife’s excess breast milk into cheese, customers at his restaurant, Klee Brasserie on Ninth Avenue in Chelsea, began demanding to have a taste. But as The Post reported yesterday, even though expressed mother’s-milk cheese is not against health codes, city officials strongly advised Angerer to desist. The cheese could pose a potential health hazard, the officials said. That did not stop diners eager to sample the human dairy from showing up at the restaurant yesterday. “We had some people who ordered the cheese plate and I had to tell them we don’t serve the breast-milk cheese in the restaurant,” maitre d’ Bari Musacchio said. “I told them if they wanted to try it, there is a recipe on the [Klee Brasserie] Web site.” According to Liz Thorpe, a vice president of Murray’s Cheese shops in Manhattan, who reviewed Angerer’s cheese for The Post, they aren’t missing much. “It was slippery, slightly crunchy and tasted like pickles,” she said. “I give it a thumbs down.” But breast-milk cheese isn’t just a matter of bad taste, it’s potentially unsafe, city officials said. “It’s not intended for adults, or for wide public consumption,” a Health Department spokeswoman said. Risks would “depend on the health of the lactating woman,” she said. “If the restaurant was found distributing the cheese in the establishment for public consumption, the Health Department could issue a violation.” Angerer said he

has no intention of selling his wife’s cheese in the restaurant, but he insisted it’s actually a healthy food. “I tried it and I’m still alive. The baby eats it all day long and she’s fine too,” he said. Even though they’re barred from distributing it to customers, Mason said the couple may hold private tasting parties “at our apartment or in the park in the spring with wine.” Mason, who has been propositioned by several creepy customers eager to sample her breast milk, offered one caveat. “We may need security to stop the weird fetish people from coming in.” The Health Department nixed the cheese-party idea, too. “He can’t do that either,” the spokeswoman said.  -  MOMMY’S MILK.  My cooking instincts are rather natural (e.g., sourcing ingredients from the local market, eating sustainable seafood, buying free-range-all-natural poultry, and I certainly love a steroid free steak) but THIS is a whole other level of “natural” – Mommy’s Milk, from a human mommy, not a cow, sheep or goat …Offspring. I came about mother’s milk when our daughter celebrated her 4th week birthday — my spouse is feeding our baby with breast milk. We are fortunate to have plenty of pumped mommy’s milk on hand and we even freeze a good amount of it – my spouse actually thinks of donating some to an infant milk bank which could help little babies in Haiti and such but for the meantime (the milk bank requires check-ups which takes a little while) our small freezer ran out of space.  To throw it out would be like wasting gold. Conservation Minded. Cheese is produced throughout the world in different flavors, textures, and forms from various animals’ milk such as goat, cow, sheep and even horse. Cheese is valued for its portability.

Depending on the cheese it has a longer shelf life compared with fresh milk since cheese is aged. Different flavors depend on the origin of the milk and diet of the milk host. Cheese is made with relatively high heat (bacteria safe) or non pasteurized milk, which alters its flavor. Sometimes cheeses are smoked, layered with ashes and leaves such as herbs and rubbed with alcohol such as wine or beer or salt which prohibits bacteria growth. Cheese imbedded with spices such as cumin or fragrant mushrooms such as truffles can make a cheese shine. All that, my over stuffed home freezer and my natural cooking instincts made me think of making cheese out of (human) mother’s milk. Step-by Step; My Spouse’s Mommy Milk Cheese Making Experiment (basic recipe using 8 cups of any milk – yields about ½ pound cheese) 2 cups mother’s milk, 2 cups milk (just about any animal milk will work), 1½-teaspoon yogurt (must be active cultured yogurt), 1/8-tablet rennet (buy from supermarket, usually located in pudding section), 1 teaspoon sea salt such as Baline. 1. Inoculate milks by heating (68 degree Fahrenheit) then introduce starter bacteria (active yogurt) then let stand for 6 – 8 hours at room temperature, 68ºF covered with a lid. Bacteria will grow in this way and convert milk sugar (lactose) to lactic acid. You can detect its presence by the tart/sour taste. 2. After inoculating the milk heat to 86 degrees Fahrenheit then add rennet (I use tablets which I dissolve in water) and stir throughout. Cover pot and don’t disturb for an hour until “clean break stage” is achieved, meaning with a clean spoon lift a small piece of curd out of the milk – if it is still soft and gel-like let pot stand for an hour longer. If curds “break clean” cut with a knife into a squares (cut inside the pot a ½-inch cube pattern). 3. Raise temperature slowly continuously

stirring with a pastry spatula (this will prevent clumping of cut curd). This is what I call the “ricotta stage” if you like this kind of fresh cheese – here it is. For cheese with a little bit more of texture heat curds to 92 degree Fahrenheit – for soft curd cheese, or as high 102oF for very firm cheese. The heating of the curd makes all the difference in the consistency of the cheese. When heated the curd looks almost like scrambled eggs at this point (curd should be at bottom of pot in whey liquid). 4. Pour curd through a fine strainer (this will separate curd from whey) then transfer into a bowl and add salt and mix with a pastry spatula (this will prevent curd from spoiling). Whey can be drank – it is quite healthy and its protein is very efficiently absorbed into the blood stream making it a sought-after product in shakes for bodybuilders. 5. Give curd shape by lining a container with cheese cloth (allow any excess of cheese cloth to hang over edges of container). Transfer drained, warm curd in the cheese cloth lined container (I used a large plastic quart containers like a large Chinese take- out soup container and cut 4 holes in the bottom with the tip of my knife). Fold excess cheese cloth over top of cheese then weight curd down (with second container filled with water or such) then store in refrigerator (14 hours or so – put container into a second larger container – this will catch draining whey liquid). 6. Take pressed curd out of container (flip container upside-down then unwrap carefully not to damage structure of pressed curd). Rewrap pressed curd with new cheese cloth then age in refrigerator for several weeks (cheese will form a light brown skin around week two – this is normal). Age cheese longer for a more pronounced/sharper cheese flavor. Chef’s Note: Cheese has to be rewrapped daily as long cheese cloth feels wet. Chef’s Note: Curdling is the process when milk is separated into solid (curds) and liquid which is done by introducing

acids such as vinegar or a starter bacteria commonly found in yogurts. Rennet (enzymes from the fourth stomach from young calves stomach which breaks down mother milk) is added too so that milk develops strong curds in the cheese making process. I was concerned a little bit with the thought of making cheese out of mother’s milk.  I wondered if it was ethnical – since I haven’t seen it on any restaurant menu yet. Conclusion – my spouse agreed — our baby has plenty back-up mother’s milk in the freezer so whoever wants to try it is welcome to try it as long as supply lasts (please consider cheese aging time). sources: nypost.com & danielangerer.com  ~ Human breast milk refers to the milk produced by a mother to feed her baby. It provides the primary source of nutrition for newborns before they are able to eat and digest other foods; older infants and toddlers may continue to be breastfed. The baby nursing from its own mother is the most ordinary way of obtaining breastmilk, but the milk can be pumped and then fed by baby bottle, cup and/or spoon, supplementation drip system, and nasogastric tube. Breastmilk can be supplied by a woman other than the baby’s mother; either via donated pumped milk (for example from a milk bank), or when a woman nurses a child other than her own at her breast – this is known as wetnursing. The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, with solids gradually being introduced around this age when signs of readiness are shown. Supplemented breastfeeding is recommended until at least age two, as long as mother and child wish. Breastfeeding also provides health benefits for the mother. It

assists the uterus in returning to its pre-pregnancy size and reduces post-partum bleeding, as well as assisting the mother in returning to her pre-pregnancy weight. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of breast cancer later in life. Under the influence of the hormones prolactin and oxytocin, women produce milk after childbirth to feed the baby. The initial milk produced is often referred to as colostrum, which is high in the immunoglobulin IgA, which coats the gastrointestinal tract. This helps to protect the newborn until its own immune system is functioning properly, and creates a mild laxative effect, expelling meconium and helping to prevent the build up of bilirubin (a contributory factor in jaundice). There are many reasons a mother may not produce enough breast milk. Some of the most common are an improper latch (i.e. the baby does not connect efficiently with the nipple), not nursing or pumping enough to meet supply, certain medications (including estrogen-containing hormonal contraceptives), illness, and dehydration. A rarer reason is Sheehan’s syndrome, also known as postpartum hypopituitarism, which is associated with prolactin deficiency; this syndrome may require hormone replacement. Malnourishment of the mother is a significant problem for women in developing countries, as malnourished women are often unable to produce breast milk. The amount of milk produced depends on how often the mother is nursing and/or pumping; the more the mother nurses her baby, or pumps, the more milk is produced. It is very helpful to nurse on demand – to nurse when the baby wants to nurse rather than on a schedule. If pumping, it is helpful to have an electric high grade pump so that all of the milk ducts are stimulated. Some mothers try to increase their milk supply in other ways – by taking the herb fenugreek, used for hundreds of years to increase supply(“Mother’s Milk” teas contain

fenugreek as well as other supply-increasing herbs); there are also prescription medications that can be used, such as Domperidone (off-label use) and Reglan. Increasers of milk supply are known as galactagogues. The exact integrated properties of breast milk are not entirely understood, but the nutrient content after this period is relatively consistent and draws its ingredients from the mother’s food supply. If that supply is found lacking, content is obtained from the mother’s bodily stores. The exact composition of breast milk varies from day to day, depending on food consumption and environment, meaning that the ratio of water to fat fluctuates. During the first few days after delivery the breast produce colostrum. This is a thin yellowish fluid which is the same fluid that leaks from the breasts during pregnancy. It is rich in protein and ingredients that help the baby’s immune system. Colostrum also helps the newborn’s digestive system to grow and function properly. After 3 to 4 days breasts will begin producing milk that is thin, watery, and sweet. This quenches the baby’s thirst and provides the proteins, sugar, and minerals the baby needs. Over time the milk changes and becomes thick and creamy. This satisfies the baby’s hunger. Foremilk, the milk released at the beginning of a feed, is watery, low in fat and high in carbohydrates relative to the creamier hindmilk which is released as the feed progresses. The breast can never be truly “emptied” since milk production is a continuous biological process. Human milk contains 0.8% to 0.9% protein, 4.5% fat, 7.1% carbohydrates and 0.2% ash (minerals) . Carbohydrates are mainly lactose; several lactose-based oligosaccharides have been identified as minor components. The fat fraction contains specific triglycerides op Palmitic and Oleic acid (O-P-O triglycerides) and also quite a

large quantity of lipids with trans bonds (see: trans fat) that are considered to have a health benefit. They are vaccenic acid, and Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) accounting for up to 6% of the human milk fat. The principal proteins are casein homologous to bovine beta-casein, alpha-lactalbumin, lactoferrin, IgA, lysozyme and serum albumin. Non-protein nitrogen-containing compounds, making up 25% of the milk’s nitrogen, include urea, uric acid, creatine, creatinine, amino acids and nucleotides.Breast milk has circadian variations; some of the nucleotides have acrophases during the night, others during the day. Mother’s milk has been shown to supply a type of endocannabinoid (the natural neurotransmitters which marijuana simulates), 2-Arachidonoyl glycerol. Though it now is almost universally prescribed, in some countries in the 1950s the practice of breastfeeding went through a period where it was out of vogue and the use of infant formula was considered superior to breast milk. However, it is now universally recognized that there is no commercial formula that can equal breast milk. In addition to the appropriate amounts of carbohydrate, protein and fat, breast milk also provides vitamins, minerals, digestive enzymes and hormones – all of the things that a growing infant will require. Breast milk also contains antibodies and lymphocytes from the mother that help the baby resist infections. The immune function of breastmilk is individualized, as the mother, through her touching and taking care of the baby, comes into contact with pathogens that colonize the baby and consequently her body makes the appropriate antibodies and immune cells. Women who are breastfeeding should consult with their physician regarding substances that can be unwittingly passed to the infant via breast milk, such as alcohol, viruses (HIV or HTLV-1) or

medications. Most women who do not breastfeed use infant formula, but breast milk donated by volunteers to human milk banks can be obtained by prescription in some countries. All mammal species produce milk, but the composition of milk for each species varies widely and other kinds of milk are often very different from human breast milk. As a rule, the milk of mammals that nurse frequently (including human babies) is less rich, or more watery, than the milk of mammals whose young nurse less often. Human milk is noticeably thinner and sweeter than cow’s milk. Left in a cup, the cream will rise and form a thin layer. Whole cow’s milk does not contain sufficient vitamin E, iron, or essential fatty acids, which can make infants fed on cow’s milk anemic. Whole cow’s milk also contains excessive amounts of protein, sodium, and potassium which may put a strain on an infant’s immature kidneys. In addition, the proteins and fats in whole cow’s milk are more difficult for an infant to digest and absorb than the ones in breast milk. Evaporated milk may be easier to digest due to the processing of the protein but is still nutritionally inadequate. A significant minority of infants are allergic to one or more of the constituents of cow’s milk, most often the cow’s milk protein.These problems can also affect infant formulas derived from cow’s milk. In addition to providing essential nourishment to infants, human milk; i.e., breast milk, has a number of valuable uses, especially medicinal uses, for both children and adults. It has been used medicinally for thousands of years.The antibacterial and healing properties of breast milk are often overlooked, even by the nursing mothers themselves. Breast milk, if properly

expressed and stored, is a sterile solution and can be used in a variety of ways to promote healing and clean wounds. Breast milk contains strong antibodies and antitoxins that many people believe promote healing and better overall health. However, breast milk lacks sterile and antiseptic properties if a nursing mother is infected with certain communicable diseases, such as HIV and various bacterial infections like Group B streptococcus, as breast milk can transmit such diseases to infants and other people. Breast milk has been used as a home remedy for minor ailments, such as conjunctivitis, insect bites and stings, contact dermatitis, and infected wounds, burns, and abrasions. Breast milk has also been used alternatively to boost the immune system of ill persons having viral gastroenteritis, influenza, the common cold, pneumonia, etc., because of its immunologic properties. However, breast milk should never be seen or construed as a “cure all”. Some medical experts are convinced that breast milk can induce apoptosis in some types of cancer cells, however, more research and evidence are needed in this area of cancer treatment. Some human females that are capable of secreting colostrum or breast milk feed their male or female partners or spouses the breast milk or colostrum as an alternative means of intimate sex play not involving intercourse, or as an element of preparation for intercourse (foreplay), or at the conclusion of sex or sex play. A minority of people, including restaurateur Hans Lochen of Switzerland, have used human breast milk, or at least advocated its use, as a substitute for cow’s milk in dairy products and food recipes. Tammy Frissell-Deppe, a family counselor specialized in attachment parenting, published a book, titled A Breastfeeding Mother’s Secret Recipes, providing a lengthy compilation of detailed food and beverage recipes containing human breast milk. The animal rights

organization known as PETA ignited a firestorm of criticism when it urged a dairy company to replace the cow’s milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk as a way to stop cattle abuse. Human breast milk is not produced or distributed industrially or commercially, because the use of human breast milk as a dairy food or recipe ingredient is considered bizarre and counterintuitive to the vast majority of cultures around the world, and most disapprove of such a practice, as it has never been widely accepted historically. This lack of acceptance is primarily due to strong social ethics and religious morality that command deep respect for human life and the human body and also command a special moral treatment of human body fluids. Attempts to formulate soap from breast milk have also been made, and those who use it claim that its effectiveness as a cleanser is greater than, or equal to, that of traditional soaps. In the ancient world, breast milk was sometimes consumed by fertility cults, and in other religious ceremonies. Spanish king Alfonso XIII visited the backward region of Las Hurdes in 1922 in order to display the concern of the crown. The king and his retinue lived in military tents planted near the town of Casares de las Hurdes. During the king’s visit a strange incident took place: A local village chief, concerned that the king was drinking only black coffee (a consequence of the king’s aides distrusting the quality of the local milk owing to unsanitary conditions in the area) served the king a small jug of milk saying, “Your Majesty rest assured that this milk is totally trustworthy,” which turned out to be breast milk from his wife who had recently given birth. The king became aware of this fact only after having had his café con leche. Preliminary research indicates that breast milk can induce apoptosis in some types of cancer cells. Adults with GI disorders and organ donation recipients can also benefit from the immunologic powers of human breast milk.

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Interleukin Genetics, Inc. And Stanford University Report Genetic Test Improves Weight Loss Success With Diets. Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (NYSE Amex: ILI) announced presentation of findings from a retrospective clinical study on weight management conducted in collaboration with Stanford University. The study results and conclusions were presented by investigators from Stanford Prevention Research Center at Stanford University School of Medicine during an oral presentation titled “Genotype Patterns Predict Weight Loss Success: The Right Diet Does Matter,” at the American Heart Association’s Joint 50th Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention and Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism conference, being held March 2-5 in San Francisco, CA. In 2008, Interleukin Genetics and Stanford University began a research collaboration to determine whether individuals who were assigned diets that were appropriate for their genotype could lose more weight than those who followed a diet inappropriate for their genotype, as determined by the Interleukin Genetics proprietary Weight Management Genetic Test. The findings showed statistically significant greater weight loss, metabolic benefit and other improvements when compared to individuals on diets not matched to their genotype. Key Stanford findings from the study include: — Individuals on genotype-appropriate diets lost 5.3 percent of body weight compared to individuals on diets not matched to their genotype, who experienced only 2.3 percent

weight loss (p=0.005); — The weight loss differences were even stronger when considering the individuals who were trying to follow the lowest carbohydrate (Atkins) and the lowest fat (Ornish) diets: 6.8% weight loss for those whose genotype matched the diet they were following vs. 1.4% for those not matched to their genotype (p=0.03); — The statistical significance of the findings increased when taking into account the actual diet habits reported by study participants (rather than just the specific diet they were asked to follow); — Improvements in clinical measures related to weight loss (e.g., blood triglyceride levels) paralleled the weight loss differences. “The differentiation in weight loss observed for individuals who followed a diet matched to their genotype versus one that was not matched to their genotype is highly significant in numerous categories and represents an approach to weight loss that has not been previously reported in the literature,” said Christopher Gardner, Ph.D., Director of Nutrition Studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. “The potential of using genetic information to achieve this magnitude of weight loss without pharmaceutical intervention would be important in helping to solve the pervasive problem of excessive weight in our society. We are eager to follow-up on this study and to determine the magnitude of health benefits that may result from following a diet that is matched to one’s genotype.” “We’re pleased our research has been

selected for presentation at this important scientific meeting,” said Interleukin Genetics Chief Scientific Officer Kenneth Kornman. “Results from this study are compelling and indicate strong potential for broad utility of a genetic test to guide diet and lifestyle choices.” About the Study;  Subjects for the study were chosen from Stanford University’s previously reported A TO Z weight loss study (Gardner et al. 2007 J. American Medical Association), which compared effectiveness of four weight loss diets ranging from very low carbohydrate, to low carbohydrate/high protein, to low fat and to very low fat in overweight/obese pre-menopausal women over a one-year period. Participants from the A TO Z trial were invited by e-mail and postal mail to provide DNA samples by cheek swab. Genotyping was performed on the DNA samples obtained from 141 female participants. Participants were categorized into three dietary assignment groups including: a) low fat, b) low carbohydrate, or c) balanced in macronutrients by means of predefined genetic patterns from the Inherent Health Weight Management Genetic Test. The primary endpoint analysis compared weight loss for women who were on a diet that was consistent with their genotype category to those individuals on diets not suitable for their genetic pattern. Interleukin Genetics, Inc. reported initial analysis of data from this A TO Z study in September. About Interleukin Genetics; Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (NYSE Amex: ILI) develops and markets genetic tests that empower consumers to prevent chronic diseases of aging and that assist pharmaceutical companies in the development and marketing of targeted

therapeutics. The Company leverages its research, intellectual property and biomarker development experience to facilitate the emerging personalized health market. Interleukin Genetics is headquartered in Waltham, MA. The Weight Management Test is a proprietary genetic test panel developed by Interleukin Genetics that analyzes single nucleotide variations among several functional genes to create macronutrient percentage diet and exercise recommendations for the individual. The test is marketed under the Inherent Health brand and is analyzed in Interleukin Genetics’ CLIA-certified laboratory. Certain statements contained herein are “forward-looking” statements including statements regarding the potential utility of the Company’s Weight Management Genetic Test. Because such statements include risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risk of market acceptance of the Company’s products, the risk of technology and product obsolescence, delays in product development, the performance of commercial partners, the availability of adequate capital, the actions of competitors and other competitive risks, and those risks and uncertainties described in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the

year ended December 31, 2008, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company disclaims any obligation or intention to update these forward-looking statements.  -  Christopher D. Gardner, PhD, is the Director of Nutrition Studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. He received his PhD in Nutritional Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley in 1993. His postgraduate training included a postdoctoral fellowship in cardiovascular disease epidemiology at Stanford. Dr. Gardner is actively involved in research and teaching. His research focus is on dietary intervention trials designed to test the effects of food components or food patterns on chronic disease risk factors, including body weight, blood lipids, and inflammatory markers. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, including a recent publication in JAMA presenting his findings from a study contrasting the weight loss effects of four diets ranging from very low to very high carbohydrate. He speaks nationally within his areas of expertise, which include: Dietary approaches to improve blood lipids, weight loss diets, health benefits of vegetarian and plant-based diets, the optimal diet for cardiovascular health, dietary supplements, and complementary and alternative medicine. sources: medicalnewstoday.com  &  stanford.edu

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E’ da poco partito ‘Per fare un albero ci vuole un fiore’, progetto della Scuola Media Don Milani, succursale Spezzaferri, e del Comune di Lodi per realizzare compost utile per concimare l’orto della scuola e fornirlo agli abitanti del quartiere. La scuola utilizzerà il composter DO.KO® e il kit domestico UMIDEO® e coinvolgerà gli abitanti di tutto il quartiere. Mai come in questa occasione la scuola è maestra di vita. Prendendo spunto dal Piano Nazionale Scuole Aperte, piano del Ministero dell’Istruzione che mira a favorire la realizzazione di azioni destinate ad ampliare l’offerta formativa ed a valorizzare le specificità territoriali, la Scuola Media di via Spezzaferri grazie al professor Demetrio Caccamo e il Comune di Lodi con l’Assessore Simone Uggetti hanno dato vita all’iniziativa ‘Per fare un albero ci vuole un fiore’. Il progetto ha come obiettivo quello di realizzare, grazie alla collaborazione

degli alunni, dei loro genitori e di tutti gli abitanti del quartiere, compost per concimare un orto che presto verrà realizzato all’interno della scuola. Il compost verrà realizzato anche grazie a DO.KO® (Domestic Kompost), sistema pensato per rendere il compostaggio una soluzione praticabile anche direttamente negli spazi domestici, come ad esempio un balcone, dalle famiglie che non possiedono tradizionali spazi verdi come orti o giardini, e UMIDEO® un trespolo ecologico di legno che ha la funzione di sostenere un sacchetto in carta speciale per la raccolta del rifiuto organico in cucina. La porosità della carta e la sospensione del sacchetto impediranno ai rifiuti organici di fermentare, prevenendo così la formazione di cattivi odori, e consentiranno la trasformazione/biodegradazione del rifiuto in ottimo materiale per il compostaggio. DO.KO® è un sistema brevettato di compostaggio realizzato in legno e acciaio commercializzato da Tradingenia srl di Bolzano, che permette la biodegradazione in modo naturale ed aerobico del rifiuto organico anche

sul balcone di casa. Dalla trasformazione dei rifiuti organici, inseriti nella compostiera dagli abitanti del quartiere che hanno ritirato il kit UMIDEO® (per la raccolta del rifiuto organico in ambito domestico), anch’esso fornito da Tradingenia srl, gli alunni della media Spezzaferri otterranno un compost utile per concimare in modo naturale l’orto che da Settembre verrà predisposto negil spazi verdi della Scuola. Grazie a questo progetto, la scuola diventerà punto di riferimento e incontro tra professori, alunni e abitanti del quartiere e luogo di istruzione attivo e costruttivo sul rispetto per l’ambiente. Attiverà dal “basso”, attraverso la genuinità dei comportamenti e la determinazone dei ragazzi, un nuovo percorso a livello comunale per la raccolta differenziata di qualità del rifiuto organico. Alessandro Tibaldeschi Ufficio stampa: Press Play – DO.KO.®: INNOVATIVA INTERPRETAZIONE DEL RICICLO “UMIDO DOMESTICO”. DO.KO.® (DOmestic KOmpost) nasce per rendere la pratica del compostaggio una soluzione adottabile dalle famiglie moderne anche quando

non possiedono tradizionali spazi verdi quali orti o giardini (basta un balcone!). Attraverso la raccolta dell’umido domestico e seguendo semplici istruzioni d’uso, DO.KO.® in modo pratico, pulito ed inodore garantisce al suo interno una biodegradazione assolutamente aerobica permettendo al rifiuto organico domestico di trasformarsi in terriccio (compost).è un piccolo laboratorio naturale protetto che si integra perfettamente nella vita quotidiana domestica permettendo di gestire in maniera autonoma uno smaltimento del rifiuto organico ad impatto 0,regalando un terriccio naturale per concimare o rinvasare le piante domestiche. la compostiera cambia look !! Con DO.KO. la compostiera si è trasformata in un complemento di arredo esterno, pronto per essere integrato in tutte le ambientazioni. Una proposta nuova che riqualifica il rifiuto positivamente e dimostra come la sua trasformazione in risorsa possa avvenire anche appena fuori dalla porta di casa! Caratteristiche: * Mobile in legno certificato per esterni * Cilindri di carico in acciaio inox (capienza complessiva di accumulo 114l) * Struttura montata su ruote autobloccanti * Alimentazione per aerazione di supporto fornita da pannello fotovoltaico. RIFIUTO ORGANICO UNA RISORSA

ECOSOSTENIBILE. Recuperare un organico di qualità si traduce nella concreta possibilità di riconvertire questo rifiuto in importante risorsa ( trasformazione in compost o conversione in gas) eliminando così il suo problematico deposito in discarica o il suo dispendioso e dannoso incenerimento.Tradingenia srl offre con UMIDEO® una soluzione semplice, igienica, 100% ecologica ed efficiente per affrontare il problema.UMIDEO® è il frutto di una attenta osservazione e sperimentazione della trasformazione della frazione organica e della sua locazione in ambito domestico. Percolato e cattivi odori vengono inibiti da una degradazione perfettamente aerobica che ne permette da subito una naturale riduzione volumetrica.Garanzie offerte da UMIDEO®: * ELEVATA CAPACITA’ DI STOCCAGGIO DEL RIFIUTO : volumetria di accumulo complessiva di oltre 10 litri. * NESSUN ODORE SGRADEVOLE: la degradazione del rifiuto avviene aerobicamente. * NATURALE RIDUZIONE VOLUMETRICA DEI RIFIUTI: il sacchetto sospeso garantisce la traspirazione del rifiuto organico su TUTTA la sua superficie favorendo la naturale

evaporazione dei liquidi (calo volumetrico 15 – 25%) * CARTA E PARTICOLARE DESIGN garantiscono la QUALITÀ dell’organico conferito. * NESSUN PROBLEMA PER IL TRATTAMENTO DEI RIFIUTI NELL’ IMPIANTO DI COMPOSTAGGIO E/O NEI DIGESTORI ANAEROBICI. Raccolta differenziata: L’ IMPORTANZA DELLA FRAZIONE ORGANICA. La frazione organica di scarto delle nostre cucine costituisce la parte più consistente dei nostri rifiuti domestici (circa il 30%) ed è da sempre la parte più difficile da trattare. Possiamo però trasformarla in una importante risorsa che può tramutarsi in prezioso compost o in energia, incominciando proprio fra le mura domestiche. Diventa quindi importante riservare qualche attenzione e adottare dei cambiamenti nelle abitudini di tutti i giorni. Piccoli accorgimenti quotidiani possono fare la differenza! Alcuni suggerimenti:* Non conservare mai i rifiuti umidi in sacchetti di plastica * Non conservarli in contenitori chiusi * Sminuzzare grossolanamente i rifiuti prima di gettarli  * Non gettare i rifiuti insieme ai liquidi di cottura (olio, grassi etc.. Ricordare sempre che il rifiuto

organico è una cosa “viva” ed ha bisogno di respirare!! UMIDEO® …e puoi proprio metterci il naso! UMIDEO® è il raccoglitore per l’organico della cucina che permette di convivere con i rifiuti umidi, per più giorni,in assoluta tranquillità. Un sistema ecologico ed igienico, per innescare come in natura, un processo di degradazione aerobica costante ed inodore. UMIDEO® l’organico inodore. Caratteristiche: * Design esclusivo * Non sporca il supporto * Realizzazione in legno certificato * Ingombro ridotto  * Pensato per lo stazionamento sotto il lavello  * Facile e divertente da assemblare. Il sacchetto di carta. Caratteristiche: * Prodotto dalle * 100% traspirante su tutta la sua superficie  * niente cattivi odori! * Perfetta tenuta ai liquidi: stesso principio del “gorotex”(aria entra ed esce- liquido no) * Non si rompe anche se bagnato! N.D.R.

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]]> http://goodnews.ws/2010/03/10/a-lodi-per-fare-un-albero-ci-vuole-il-compost/feed/ 0 http://goodnews.ws/2010/03/09/sesso-non-e-uguale-per-tutti-cose-diverse-a-seconda-delleta/ http://goodnews.ws/2010/03/09/sesso-non-e-uguale-per-tutti-cose-diverse-a-seconda-delleta/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:33:04 +0000 goodnews http://goodnews.ws/?p=13762

Si fa presto a dire sesso. Quando si parla di eros, infatti, non tutti pensano alla stessa cosa e le maggiori fluttuazioni su quello che si intende per attività sessuale sono legate soprattutto all’età. Lo affermano gli scienziati dell’istituto Kinsey, i quali hanno condotto in proposito una ricerca nel corso della quale hanno intervistato 204 uomini e 282 donne tra i 18 e i 96 anni. A tutti i partecipanti è stato chiesto: “Quando dite “ho fatto sesso”, qual è la cosa più intima che avete fatto?” Le risposte, abbastanza simili tra uomini e donne, hanno comunque stupito i ricercatori. Secondo i risultati del sondaggio, ad esempio, per il 95% degli intervistati fare sesso implica il contatto tra pene e vagina, percentuale che scende all’89% se non si ha l’orgasmo maschile. Per il 30% degli intervistati invece un rapporto orale “non è sesso”, mentre per altri si va dal 77% dei giovani fino a 29 anni che li considera attività sessuale al 50% degli over 70 che invece non li considera tali. Il problema, però, non è solo una questione di semplici definizioni, spiegano ancora gli autori. Come sottolinea Brandon Hill, uno dei ricercatori, “medici, genitori ed educatori devono stare molto attenti a non presumere che la loro definizione di sesso sia la stessa della persona con cui stanno parlando: se qualcuno non considera certi comportamenti come sesso potrebbe non prestare attenzione ad avvertimenti ad esempio sulla salute”. Tutto questo, aggiunge Hill, ha un impatto sul rapporto medico-paziente. ”Se un medico chiede a un paziente quanti partner ha avuto, ad esempio

nel caso di una malattia a trasmissione sessuale, la risposta potrebbe variare a seconda delle percezioni del soggetto”. Un altro sondaggio, invece, rivela che sotto le lenzuola le donne si trasformano a volte in attrici da Oscar. Chi non ricorda Meg Ryan, con la famosa scena al ristorante in “Harry ti presento Sally’” e la sua magistrale simulazione di orgasmo? Secondo un sondaggio britannico condotto su 3mila donne, la simpatica attrice ha un esercito di seguaci: infatti, il 48% delle intervistate ammette di aver “recitato’” il piacere amoroso, mentre uno zoccolo duro pari al 10% confessa di farlo ogni volta. Fa da contrappeso una quota di poco inferiore, pari al 7% delle intervistate, che ha posto fine alla relazione proprio perché insoddisfatta sotto le lenzuola, anche se appena una su 10 ha confessato al partner il vero motivo della rottura. E ancora: una donna su cinque si dice estremamente infelice dell’intimità con il partner e l’11% accusa il compagno di essere troppo frettoloso, arrivando al culmine del piacere in un battibaleno.  Inoltre, il 38% è convinta che il partner non sappia riconoscere la differenza tra un orgasmo vero e uno simulato ad arte. E c’è chi, per arrivare all’obiettivo non lesina sulla fantasia, addirittura pensando a un altro uomo nel momento clou. fonte tgcom.mediaset.it  -  I rapporti Kinsey sono due libri sul comportamento sessuale dell’essere umano: Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male (Il comportamento sessuale dell’uomo; 1948) e Sexual Behaviour in the Human Female (Il comportamento sessuale della donna; 1953), scritti dai Dott.ri Alfred Kinsey, Wardell Pomeroy e altri. Kinsey era un biologo presso l’Università dell’Indiana e il fondatore

dell’ Istituto Kinsey.I risultati del suo lavoro ebbero un’enorme risonanza presso la gente comune e furono immediatamente considerati controversi e sensazionalistici. Essi sfidavano le conoscenze convenzionali sulla sessualità e si occupavano di argomenti che in precedenza erano considerati tabù. La credenza che l’eterosessualità e l’astinenza fossero la norma, sia statisticamente che eticamente, non erano mai stati messi in discussione prima di allora sulla base di una ricerca statistica e scientifica di quelle dimensioni. Probabilmente le scoperte più citate dai Rapporti Kinsey riguardano la prevalenze di differenti orientamenti sessuali, in particolar modo per corroborare la tesi che il 10% della popolazione sia gay. In verità questi risultati non sono così chiari, e lo stesso Kinsey disapprovava l’uso di termini come “eterosessuale” e “omosessuale” per descrivere gli individui, asserendo che la sessualità cambia col tempo, e che il comportamento sessuale può essere compreso sia come contatto fisico sia come fenomeno psicologico (desiderio, attrazione sessuale, fantasia). Kinsey introdusse una nuova scala di valutazione che sostituiva le tre categorie fino ad allora accettate di eterosessualità, bisessualità e omosessualità. La Scala Kinsey, misura il comportamento sessuale assegnando valori che vanno da 0 a 6, dove 0 sta ad indicare un comportamento totalmente eterosessuale e 6 un comportamento totalmente omosessuale. Con 1 considera un individuo in prevalenza eterosessuale e solo occasionalmente omosessuale. Con 2 un individuo di solito eterosessuale ma più che occasionalmente omosessuale. Con 3 un individuo equamente omosessuale che eterosessuale, e così via. Fu inoltre creata una particolare categoria, X, per indicare coloro che sono privi di desiderio sessuale. I rapporti trovarono che quasi il 46%

degli individui maschi ha “interagito” sessualmente con persone di entrambi i sessi nel corso della vita adulta, e il 37% ha avuto almeno un’esperienza omosessuale. L’11.6% degli uomini di etnia caucasica (fra 20 e 35 anni) ha ottenuto un valore sulla scala di Kinsey pari a 3 (esperienze/attrazioni eterosessuali e omosessuali in pari quantità) nella vita adulta. Lo studio inoltre riporta che il 10% dei maschi americani è stato “pressoché esclusivamente omosessuale per almeno tre anni tra i 16 e i 55 anni”  (ovvero, nella scala tra 5 e 6).Al 7% delle persone di sesso femminile non sposate (età 20-35) e il 4% delle sposate (età 20-35) fu assegnato un valore sulla scala di Kinsey di 3 (esperienze/attrazioni eterosessuali e omosessuali in pari quantità).Dal 2% al 6% delle donne, età 20-35, erano pressoché esclusivamente omosessuali  e dall’1% al 3% delle donne non sposate erano esclusivamente omosessuali . Il 62% delle donne riportarono di aver praticato la masturbazione. Il 45% delle donne che riportò di aver praticato la masturbazione dichiarò di poter raggiungere l’orgasmo in 3 minuti.Il 92% degli uomini dichiarò di essersi masturbato.La frequenza media di coiti all’interno del matrimonio dichiarate dalle donne furono: 2.8 volte per settimana, prima dei vent’anni; 2.2 volte per settimana, entro i 30 anni; e 1.0 volte per settimana, entro i 50. Kinsey stimò che circa il 50% degli uomini sposati ha avuto esperienze sessuali extraconiugali. All’interno del campione, il 26% delle donne ha avuto esperienze sessuali extraconiugali entro i quarant’anni. Tra 1 ogni 6 e 1 ogni 10 donne di età 26-50 aveva rapporti sessuali extraconiugali.Il 12% delle donne e il 22% degli uomini testimoniò di aver avuto una

reazione erotica ad una storia di stampo sadomasochistico, e il 55% delle donne e il 50% dei maschi confermò di aver trovato sessualmente stimolante l’esperienza di essere percossi. Nel capitolo V. del Rapporto figurano i “risultati” di “esperimenti” sulla “Sessualità dei bambini”. Gli “esperimenti” erano intesi a dimostrare “la capacità dei bambini” (anche di età prescolare) a “provare un orgasmo”. Questo capitolo del Rapporto, apparentemente ignorato dai contemporanei di Kinsey, è stato oggetto di un documentario girato nel 1998, intitolato “I pedofili di Kinsey”, il quale dimostra come i suddetti “esperimenti” siano stati in effetti dei veri e propri atti di pedofilia, e di abusi sessuali sui bambini. I dati furono raccolti essenzialmente con interviste, strutturate in modo da mantenere confidenziali i contenuti. Altre fonti includono i diari di pedofili. I dati furono poi informatizzati per essere analizzati. Tutto questo materiale, comprese le note originarie dei ricercatori, resta disponibile al Kinsey Institute per i ricercatori qualificati che dimostrino la necessità di visionarli.Le statistiche furono costruite e interpretate più attentamente di quanto fosse d’uso a quel tempo, e la riservatezza dell’oggetto fu più attentamente protetta. In ogni caso, il soggetto stesso si rese sensazionale. Basandosi sui suoi dati e scoperte, altri asserirono che il 10% della popolazione sia omosessuale, e che le donne accrescono le loro prospettive di soddisfazione nel matrimonio masturbandosi anticipatamente. Nessuna delle due affermazioni fu fatta da Kinsey, ma entrambe furono (e continuano ad essere) attribuite a questi. I libri furono largamente criticati dai conservatori in quanto considerati

promotori della depravazione. Il comportamento sessuale dell’uomo fu posto in due liste ultra-conservatrici dei peggiori libri della modernità. Si classificò terzo nel 50 Worst Books of the Twentieth Century dell’Intercollegiate Studies Institute, e quarto sul Ten Most Harmful Books of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries di Human Events.Oltre alle obiezioni di tipo moralistico, altre critiche sono rivolte al metodo utilizzato nella scelta del campione da esaminare. Nel 1948, lo stesso anno della pubblicazione originale del rapporto, una commissione dell’American Statistical Association, che includeva importanti statistici come John Tukey condannò la procedura di scelta del campione. Tukey fu forse il più accanito critico, ed affermò: “Una selezione casuale di tre persone sarebbe stata certamente migliore di una selezione di 300 operata dal signor Kinsey” . La critica si fondava principalmente sulla sovra rappresentazione di alcuni gruppi all’interno del campione: il 25% era, o era stato, in prigione, ed il 5% era costituito da uomini che si prostituivano.Una critica legata a quella di Tukey è stata formulata da alcuni dei maggiori psicologi del tempo, tra cui Abraham Maslow. Questi ultimi sostenevano che Kinsey non aveva considerato la distorsione dei risultati derivante dal fatto che i dati di partenza rappresentavano solamente coloro che acconsentivano a partecipare all’indagine (trascurando deliberatamente il fatto che negli anni in cui Kinsey svolse la sua inchiesta, comportamenti come l’adulterio, l’omosessualità, e perfino i rapporti orali ed anali anche fra adulti consenzienti e in privato, negli Usa erano reati puniti col carcere, pertanto discuterne con un campione assolutamente casuale era semplicemente impossibile).In risposta a tali critiche Kinsey decise di produrre un terzo volume, specificamente sull’omosessualità, visto che la massima parte delle obiezioni si concentravano sull’accusa

di avere incredibilmente “esagerato” il numero dei comportamenti omosessuali, prima di lui considerati marginali e limitati ad una minoranza quasi trascurabile di devianti.Tuttavia, come raccontato in dettaglio dal suo collaboratore Clarence Arthur Tripp (nel suo libro The homosexual matrix, 1975, traduzione italiana: La questione omosessuale, Rizzoli, 1978), una volta annunciato il progetto i gruppi d’interesse conservatori scatenarono una campagna perché le fondazioni che lo avevano sostenuto fin lì ritirassero il loro appoggio, riuscendo nell’intento. Pertanto il terzo volume, che avrebbe dovuto ripetere l’indagine tenendo conto delle critiche mosse, non uscì mai. Studi successivi hanno tuttavia confermato la sostanziale correttezza dei suoi metodi, in particolare, il problema del campionamento “casuale” si è rivelato cruciale anche negli studi, finanziati da gruppi conservatori e religiosi, per smentire i dati di Kinsey.Per questo motivo, in tempi più recenti la critica si è spostata dai dati stessi alla vita sessuale privata ed alla personalità di Kinsey, dipinto come persona dalla moralità sessuale assolutamente depravata, se non egli stesso un omosessuale segreto. Inutile dire che se anche tali critiche fossero vere, non avrebbero alcuna incidenza sulla valutazione della correttezza scientifica dei dati da lui raccolti.  Scala Kinsey; « Il mondo non è diviso in pecore e capre. Non tutte le cose sono bianche o nere. È fondamentale nella tassonomia che la natura raramente ha a che fare con categorie discrete. Soltanto la mente umana inventa categorie e cerca di forzare i fatti in gabbie distinte. Il mondo vivente è un continuum in ogni suo aspetto. Prima apprenderemo questo a proposito del comportamento sessuale umano, prima arriveremo ad una profonda comprensione delle realtà del sesso »(Il comportamento sessuale dell’uomo – Alfred Kinsey).

La scala Kinsey rappresenta da parte del suo ideatore, lo studioso del comportamento Alfred Kinsey, uno dei primi tentativi in ambito scientifico moderno di introdurre il concetto di una sessualità umana le cui sfacettature non siano rappresentate a compartimenti stagni, ma, viceversa, dinamiche e assai variabili da individuo a individuo o anche nel medesimo individuo, a seconda delle circostanze ambientali e legate all’età. Essa è formata da sette livelli che vanno dallo 0, che indica una tedenza esclusivamente “eterosessuale”, a 6 che indica invece una propensione esclusivamente “omosessuale” mentre nel centro si collocano coloro in cui le tendenze etero e omosessuali si equivalgono (sostanzialmente i cosiddetti “bisessuali”). Fu proposta per la prima volta nella pubblicazione Il comportamento sessuale dell’uomo (1948), meglio conosciuto come il rapporto Kinsey ma ebbe notovole importanza anche nella parte successiva Il comportamento sessuale della donna (1953) (il secondo Rapporto Kinsey).Circa il tentativo di classificare gli orientamenti sessuali umani mediante questa scala indicativa è importante sottolineare come il punteggio del soggetto in esame e quindi il suo orientamento sessuale non è fisso per l’intero arco della vita ma è molto spesso soggetto a variazioni che possono essere piuttosto significative. La scala Kinsey o più precisamente l’ Heterosexual/ Homosexual Rating Scale. Valutazione e Descrizione; 0     Esclusivamente eterosessuali. 1 Prevalentemente eterosessuali, ma in alcune circostanze con tendenze omosessuali. 2  Prevalentemente eterosessuali, ma con una forte componente omosessuale. 3 Le tendenze eterosessuali e omosessuali si equivalgono (bisessualità). 4 Prevalentemente omosessuali, ma con una forte componente eterosessuale. 5  Prevalentemente omosessuali, ma in alcune circostanze con tendenze eterosessuali. 6   Esclusivamente omosessuali.  N.D.R.

Caro amico lettore,
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Ten days ago, we reported about a beggar that netizens have begun calling “Brother Sharp” (or “Sharp Brother”) for his “sharp/penetrating” eyes and fashionable appearance. He became the hottest news on the Chinese internet. A few days ago, Brother Sharp was reunited with his family. Here is the update: “Brother Sharp’s” real name Cheng Guorong, has two children, wife deceased.  Yesterday (March 5) morning, this reporter received news that the relatives of the Ningbo street beggar “Brother Sharp”, that netizens have been following, have been found, and have already arrived in Ningbo while “Brother Sharp” has since already entered the Ningbo City mental hospital. As it is understood, “Brother Sharp’s” real name is called Cheng Guorong, born 1976, and is from Poyang county of Jiangxi province. Yesterday rushing to reunite is his mother and younger brother. According to “Brother Sharp’s” younger brother Cheng Guosheng, “Brother Sharp” has two children attending school in his hometown, that his wife and father suffered a car accident last year and both have passed away. After shaving his beard and changing out of his homeless clothes, “Brother Sharp” became a completely different person from the one netizens previously were familiar with. Cheng Guosheng said his older brother came to Ningbo in 2000 with others from his hometown to find work, had still been in contact with his family the past few years, but beginning in 2003,  information from him had stopped. Family members have previously came to Ningbo to find him multiple times, with the most recent time being the year before last. That time, it was his uncle who came to Ningbo to find his nephew, but eventually found no information. Cheng Guosheng thinks his elder brother maybe did not earn much money and thus did not have the face to return home, but as to why he became homeless on the streets, he too is perplexed.

With regards to “Brother Sharp’s” psychiatric symptoms, doctors say there needs to be further medical observation. After “Brother Sharp”, there have again been people who have discovered “Brother Sprite” etc., while some netizens have called for not using beggars as entertainment. In the video below, the media believes they have found Brother Sharp’s family. Brother Sharp’s possible mother and younger brother arrive in Ningbo after riding a bus for many hours. In Ningbo, they review some video of Brother Sharp to determine if they are sure it is her son and his older brother. The mother cries, wondering how her son had become this way. The younger brother says he is over 90%  sure Brother Sharp is his elder brother, although after so many years, there is of course some change. The man wearing the hat in much of the video with Brother Sharp is “Lao Can Mao”, the netizen who met Brother Sharp in 2008 and shared how Brother Sharp lives on the internet. In the next video, the mother and brother go to meet Brother Sharp. A representative says that Brother Sharp’s condition was okay when the hospital admitted him, that they cleaned him up, changed his clothes, and that he was able to write his own name as well as his father’s name. When interviewed by reporters, his younger brother says that he had originally come to Ningbo with people from his hometown, later returned, but then came to Ningbo alone again. A doctor tells the media that Brother Sharp still has some mental problems. Brother Sharp’s younger brother answers more questions from the media, such as whether or not Brother Sharp recognized them, and also some stupid questions like whether his hair was cut and what he looks like now. The last person in the video being interviewed is “Lao Can Mao” again who says he did not meet Brother Sharp yet, that he only saw him from a distance, that Brother Sharp did not see him, and that he just wanted to see the mother and younger brother. He jokes that Brother Sharp is now much cleaner and trusts that he should now be more handsome than before although he probably is no longer “Brother Sharp” because he no longer has the “sharp/penetrating” eyes or look. Finally, he  says that the expenses will probably be paid by a relevant government department.

In this last video, we can see Brother Sharp himself, shaved and cleaned up. The host first shares that most netizens believe Brother Sharp should remain in the hospital for further observation but that the younger brother has told them that they feel staying would not be good for Brother Sharp and have already checked him out of the hospital. Brother Sharp is wearing the Puma hat.  -  Brother Sharp: Beggar Hailed Most Handsome, Fashionable. Fashionable beggar becomes famous online, encounters human flesh search. Those sad eyes/that sad expression, the sad mustache, the miraculous godly hair, and that messy hair, all of it has deeply captivated me.” …Recently, a very hot/popular beggar post has become famous on the internet, the post narrating what netizens have hailed as “The Ultimate Gorgeous #1 Passerby Handsome Guy” beggar. Owing to his unconventional, nondescript appearance as well as his original “mashup”, netizens have begun following him, even “human flesh searching” him. It can also translate to “Brother Penetrating” or “Penetrating  Brother” … but… news from chinasmack.com  -  Homelessness is the condition of people and social category of people who don’t have a regular house or dwelling because they cannot afford, pay for, or are otherwise unable to maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or they lack, “fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence” The actual legal definition varies from country to country, or among different entities or institutions in the same country or region. The term homelessness may also include people whose primary nighttime residence is in a homeless shelter, in an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized, or in a public or private place not designed for use as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. Some estimate that there are about 100 million homeless people worldwide. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines a “chronically homeless” person as “an unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has either been continuously homeless for a year or more, or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years.

” The major reasons and causes for homelessness as documented by many reports and studies include: * Substance abuse. * Mental disorder, where mental health services are unavailable or difficult to access. * Inavailability of employment opportunities. * Poverty, caused by many factors including unemployment and underemployment. * Lack of affordable healthcare. * War or armed conflict. * Lack of affordable housing. An article in the November 2007 issue of Atlantic Monthly reported on a study of the cost of obtaining the “right to build” (i.e. a building permit, red tape, bureaucracy, etc.) in different U.S. cities. The “right to build” cost does not include the cost of the land or the cost of constructing the house. The study was conducted by Harvard economists Edward Glaeser and Kristina Tobio. According to the chart accompanying the article, the cost of obtaining the “right to build” adds approximately $600,000 to the cost of each new house that is built in San Francisco.  * Domestic violence. * Prison release and re-entry into society. * Natural disaster, including but not limited to earthquakes and hurricanes. An example is the 1999 Athens earthquake in Greece in which many middle class people became homeless and are still without a home as of 2009, with some of them living in containers, especially in the Nea Ionia earthquake survivors container city provided by the government, and in most cases their only property that survived the quake was their car. Such people are known in Greece as seismopathis meaning earthquake-struck. * Forced eviction – In many countries, people lose their homes by government order to make way for newer upscale high rise buildings, roadways, and other governmental needs. The compensation may be minimal, in which case the former occupants cannot find appropriate new housing and become homeless. * Mortgage foreclosures where mortgage holders see the best solution to a loan default is to take and sell the house to pay off the debt. The popular press made an issue of this in 2008; the real magnitude of the problem is undocumented. A substantial percentage

of the U.S. homeless population are individuals who are chronically unemployed or have difficulty managing their lives effectively due to prolonged and severe drug and/or alcohol abuse.Substance abuse can cause homelessness from behavioral patterns associated with addiction that alienate an addicted individual’s family and friends who could otherwise provide support during difficult economic times. Increased wealth disparity and income inequality causes distortions in the housing market that push rent burdens higher, making housing unaffordable. Dr. Paul Koegel of RAND Corporation, a seminal researcher in first generation homelessness studies and beyond, divided the causes of homelessness into structural aspects and then individual vulnerabilities. Proposed solutions to homelessness; Housing First / Rapid Re-housing. In the USA, the government asked many major cities to come up with a ten year plan to end homeless problem; and one of the results of this was a “Housing first” solution, also known as “rapid re-housing”, which quickly gets a homeless person permanent housing of some sort and the necessary support services to sustain a new home. There are many complications of this kind of program and these must be dealt with to make such an initiative work successfully in the middle to long term. Supportive housing; Supportive housing is a combination of housing and services intended as a cost-effective way to help people live more stable, productive lives. Supportive housing works well for those who face the most complex challenges–individuals and families confronted with homelessness and who also have very low incomes and/or serious, persistent issues that may include substance abuse, addiction or alcoholism, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, or other serious challenges to a successful life. Pedestrian Villages;  In 2007 urban designer and social theorist Michael E. Arth proposed a controversial national solution for homelessness that would involve building nearly carfree Pedestrian Villages in place of what he terms “the current band-aid approach

to the problem.”A prototype, Tiger Bay Village, was proposed for near Daytona Beach, FL. He claims that this would be superior for treating the psychological as well as psychiatric needs of both temporarily and permanently homeless adults, and would cost less than the current approach. It would also provide a lower cost alternative to jail, and provide a half-way station for those getting out of prison. Work opportunities, including construction and maintenance of the villages, as well as the creation of work force agencies would help make the villages financially and socially viable. Transitional housing; Transitional Housing provides temporary housing for the certain segments of the homeless population, including working homeless, and is set up to transition their residents into permanent, affordable housing. It’s not in an emergency homeless shelter but usually a room or apartment in a residence with support services. The transitional time can be short, for example one or two years, and in that time the person must file for and get permanent housing and usually some gainful employment or income, even if Social Security or assistance. Sometimes, the transitional housing residence program charges a room and board fee, maybe 30% of an individual’s income, which is sometimes partially or fully refunded after the person procures a permanent place to live in. Federal funding for transitional housing programs was originally allocated in the McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1986. Assistance and resources available to the homeless. Most countries provide a variety of services to assist homeless people. They often provide food, shelter and clothing and may be organised and run by community organisations (often with the help of volunteers) or by government departments. These programs may be supported by government, charities, churches and individual donors. In 1998, a study by Koegel and Schoeni of a homeless population in Los Angeles, California, reported that a significant number of homeless do not participate in government assistance programs, and the authors reported being puzzled

as to why that was, with the only possible suggestion from the evidence being that transaction costs were perhaps too high. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Administration have a special Section 8 housing voucher program called VASH (Veterans Administration Supported Housing), or HUD-VASH, which gives out a certain number of Section 8 subsidized housing vouchers to elegible homeless and otherwise vulnerable US armed forces veterans.  Income sources;  Many non-profit organizations such as Goodwill Industries maintain a mission to “provide skill development and work opportunities to people with barriers to employment”, though most of these organizations are not primarily geared toward homeless individuals. Many cities also have street newspapers or magazines: publications designed to provide employment opportunity to homeless people or others in need by street sale. While some homeless have paying jobs, some must seek other methods to make money. Begging or panhandling is one option, but is becoming increasingly illegal in many cities. Despite the stereotype, not all homeless people panhandle, and not all panhandlers are homeless. Another option is busking: performing tricks, playing music, drawing on the sidewalk, or offering some other form of entertainment in exchange for donations. In cities where plasmapheresis centers still exist, homeless people may generate income through frequent visits to these centers. Homeless people have been known to commit crimes just to be sent to jail or prison for food and shelter. In police slang, this is called “three hots and a cot” referring to the three hot daily meals and a cot to sleep on given to prisoners. Invented in 2005, in Seattle, Bumvertising, an informal system of hiring the homeless to advertise by a young entrepreneur, is providing food, money, and bottles of water to sign-holding homeless in the Northwest. Homeless advocates accuse the founder, Ben Rogovy, and the process, of exploiting the poor and take particular offense to the use of the word

“bum” which is generally considered pejorative. In October 2009, the Boston Globe carried a story on so-called cyberbegging, or Internet begging, which was reported to be a new trend worldwide. Health care for the homeless. Health care for the homeless is a major public health challenge. Homeless people are more likely to suffer injuries and medical problems from their lifestyle on the street, which includes poor nutrition, substance abuse, exposure to the severe elements of weather, and a higher exposure to violence (robberies, beatings, and so on). Yet at the same time, they have little access to public medical services or clinics. This is a particular problem in the US where many people lack health insurance: “Each year, millions of people in the United States experience homelessness and are in desperate need of health care services. Most do not have health insurance of any sort, and none have cash to pay for medical care.” Homeless persons often find it difficult to document their date of birth or their address. Because homeless people usually have no place to store possessions, they often lose their belongings, including their identification and other documents, or find them destroyed by police or others. Without a photo ID, homeless persons cannot get a job or access many social services. They can be denied access to even the most basic assistance: clothing closets, food pantries, certain public benefits, and in some cases, emergency shelters. Obtaining replacement identification is difficult. Without an address, birth certificates cannot be mailed. Fees may be cost-prohibitive for impoverished persons. And some states will not issue birth certificates unless the person has photo identification, creating a Catch-22. This problem is far less acute in countries which provide free-at-use health care, such as the UK, where hospitals are open-access day and night, and make no charges for treatment. In the US, free-care clinics, especially for the homeless do exist in major cities, but they are usually over-burdened with patients. The conditions affecting the homeless are somewhat specialized and have opened

a new area of medicine tailored to this population. Skin conditions, including Scabies, are common because homeless people are exposed to extreme cold in the winter and they have little access to bathing facilities. They have problems caring for their feet and have more severe dental problems than the general population.Diabetes, especially untreated, is widespread in the homeless population.Specialized medical textbooks have been written to address this for providers. There are many organizations providing free care to the homeless in countries which do not offer free medical treatment organised by the state, but the services are in great demand given the limited number of medical practitioners. For example, it might take months to get a minimal dental appointment in a free-care clinic. Communicable diseases are of great concern, especially tuberculosis, which spreads more easily in crowded homeless shelters in high density urban settings. In 1999, Dr. Susan Barrow of the Columbia University Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies reported in a study that the “age-adjusted death rates of homeless men and women were 4 times those of the general US population and 2 to 3 times those of the general population of New York City”.  In 2004, Boston Health Care for the Homeless in conjunction with the National Health Care for the Homeless Council published a medical manual called “The Health Care of Homeless Persons”, edited by James J. O’Connell, M.D., specifically for the treatment of the homeless population. In June 2008, in Boston, Massachusetts, the Jean Yawkey Place, a four-story, 77,653 square-foot building, was opened by the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. It is an entire full service building on the Boston Medical Center campus dedicated to providing health care for the homeless. It also contains a long term care facility, the Barbara McInnis House, which expanded to 104 beds, which is the first and largest medical respite program for homeless people in the United States. The Homelessness are PERSONS!!! They are our brothers and our sisters and they need our help …

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The Shweeb is a monorail for human-powered vehicles. It consists of two 200metre long overhead rail circuits that vary in height between two and four meters above the ground. Under the tracks hang high performance pedal powered vehicles. Between one and five vehicles can be loaded onto each track enabling teams to race each other or race against the clock. Conceived in Tokyo by designer Geoffrey Barnett, the adventure park ride he built in New Zealand is partially a proof-of-concept for an ingenious, high efficiency, no emission urban transport system. The Shweeb Race thru Space adventure park ride is part of the Agroventures all weather adventure centre within the grounds of the world famous Agrodome near Rotorua in New Zealand. Other

adventures available alongside the Shweeb include the Swoop and the 43metre-high Rotorua Bungy. Given the levels of adrenalin involved in that lot, the human-powered Shweeb surprisingly holds its own. As the bikes run on low-resistance tracks and the pods are far more aerodynamically efficient than a bicycle, with less frontal area (the rider is recumbent), most riders can see speeds of 45 kmh and on a longer circuit with a much longer straight, much higher speeds can be expected. Whatsmore, in corners, the pods swing out as much as 60 degrees on tight turns, but unlike a bike or motorcycle, there is no danger of losing traction and crashing. Those who have tried it report exceptional fun. Recently, fully-faired recumbent. However, recumbent bicycles are unstable, highly-susceptible to side-winds topple and their low profile makes them a dangerous proposition to use in traffic due to their low visibility. Barnett has spent six years developing how to efficiently transfer pedal power to drive wheels enclosed within a monorail track while allowing the vehicle to swing freely underneath. The hard wheels on the steel rail mean that there is very little rolling resistance. Barnett

describes his high efficiency, no emission urban transport system thus: “Here’s how it worksHow It Works . You get up in the morning; descend to the second level of your apartment building where there’s a Shweeb port and empty Shweebs waiting for you. You cruise over the top of the traffic jams. You don’t pay parking. You’ve produced no pollution. You arrive at work fit, healthy and ready to go. “You don’t own the Shweeb. You use it like a shopping cart. Empty vehicles are restocked to wherever they are needed. When a fit rider comes up behind a slower rider, the impact is cushioned and they act as a single unit. Two Shweebs acting together will always travel faster than either rider separately. Even if the lead rider were to stop pedalling, the energy required to maintain a vehicle’s momentum on a flat track is minimal. “Stations are off line. Anyone wanted to get off just merges off the main rail and the platoon continues at top speed. “The urban Shweebrail network is inexpensive, has a tiny footprint, and each Shweebway requires only a square metre of airspace…It’s safe, silent and sustainable.” Shweeb technology; The Shweeb is a direct response to the transportation needs of today and the future. The

world’s populations are increasingly migrating to huge cities, and the densities within our cities are steadily climbing as residential towers become the dominant mode of residence. Traffic is slowing to walking pace, there is little parking and there is significant and ever-increasing pollution of the air we breathe.  Of note, the average speed of a motor vehicle in central London in 1908 was 8 mph.  In 2008 it was still 8 mph. Any attempt to resuscitate the automobile by devising a new fuel or engine is doomed. Our cities simply can’t cope with rising numbers of cars or parking spaces. In our opinion a fresh approach is required. Our proposal to get you safely and quickly from one point in the city to another would be to elevate you onto a network of interconnected monorails where you never have to stop at traffic lights. The ideal vehicle for such a system already exists. Fully faired recumbent cycles, because of their low aerodynamic resistance, are breaking all bicycle speed records and currently reaching speeds of 90 kph (56 mph) in sprints. Suspending these comfortable and highly efficient machines from monorail tracks has the added advantage of taking away the rolling resistance of pneumatic tyres.

Trains of Shweebs can further reduce the aero drag – ten people travelling at 40 kph will each have a lot less work to do than a single rider at the same speed. A single rider requires only a fraction of the energy to achieve the same speed as a normal cyclist – thanks to the significant reductions in both aero drag and tire friction.  The vehicle is completely weatherproof, you can’t derail or fall out while on the cellphone or blackberry! The result is the most efficient vehicle on earth, the most inexpensive infrastructure of any proposed urban transit and one of the highest capacity systems available – delivering 20,000+ people per hour in a 1×1 m2 airspace. All this with zero carbon omissions and no parking worries or cost! The Shweeb Research and Development team, headed by Geoffrey Barnett has spent six years designing this system. The Rotorua launch has proven the safety and efficiency of the technology. More and more of our riders are getting excited about the idea of getting up in the morning and Shweebing to work! news from ecoagile.com

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Natural Antioxidants Give Top Barn Swallows a Leg Up on Competitors, Says New CU Study. A new University of Colorado at Boulder study indicates North American barn swallows outperform their peers in reproduction — the “currency” of evolutionary change — by maintaining a positive balance of antioxidants commonly sold in health food stores. The study is the first to track concentrations of carotenoids, which are naturally occurring plant pigments, in a wild bird or animal species over the course of the grueling breeding season. Carotenoids can offer the benefits associated with over-the-counter nutritional supplements that protect cells from free radical damage, said CU-Boulder Assistant Professor Rebecca Safran. Since American barn swallows migrate thousands of miles to their breeding grounds annually and immediately commence courtship, nesting and reproductive activities, many lose significant amounts of weight and become physiologically compromised during the intense spring activities, said Safran, lead study author. But the new study indicates some individuals can bear such costs better than others, she said. While other studies have looked at carotenoid levels in captive birds at a single point in time, the new study

is the first to monitor carotenoids within wild individuals as they feed, mate, nest, and rear young, said Safran of CU-Boulder’s ecology and evolutionary biology department. “Our results indicate the concentrations of these molecules are highly variable within individuals over time,” she said. “The season-long balance, rather than a sample at a single point in time, indicates which birds are the top performers as parents and mates.” A paper on the subject appears in the Feb. 25 issue of PLoS One, a journal of the Public Library of Science. Co-authors on the study included Arizona State University Associate Professor Kevin McGraw, CU-Boulder doctoral students Matthew Wilkins and Joanna Hubbard and project volunteer Julie Marling. “By monitoring wild populations of barn swallows during the breeding season, we determined how individual birds managed their own health while enduring the costs of parental care,” said Safran. “Individuals who maintain a positive balance in their nutritional status through the breeding and nesting season are those with the greatest reproductive performance and tend to be darker in color and larger in body mass.” Safran and her team, which included dozens of CU-Boulder students and volunteers from the community, trapped scores of barn swallows with mist nets in rural sites around Boulder County, measuring and weighing them and taking blood and feather samples before releasing them back into the wild. Each bird was sampled between two and four times over the breeding season. The blood analysis tests took place in McGraw’s Arizona State University lab. The three carotenoids measured in the study — lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin

– all are antioxidants that are sold in health food stores around the world. The swallows obtain carotenoids from insects that feed on plants rich in the nutrients. Since the barn swallow reproductive season lasts about four months, it makes sense that individuals should be able to signal their abilities as parents and mates over time, rather than at the beginning of the season when pair formation takes place, she said. “The swallows that maintained high levels of carotenoids throughout the summer got more reproductive attempts and produced more offspring,” Safran said. Many of the high-quality barn swallow pairs, which weighed more than their peers during the breeding season, produced two clutches of eggs rather than one, producing a greater number of young that fledged, she said. “Nutritional status is a 24-hour game, because many nutrients don’t carry over beyond the next day,” she said. The “top” barn swallows appear to be very efficient at foraging and dealing with the costs of reproductive success on a day-by-day basis, which includes guarding the nest and feeding the young, both of which are physiologically taxing activities, Safran said. “Our findings in this study contradict the prevailing scientific views regarding the immense physiological costs of reproduction in birds,” Safran said. “While evolutionary theory says individuals that pay the greatest cost in parental care do so at the expense of self-preservation, we found some individuals are good at doing it all

-- maintaining their own nutritional status while bearing the costs of reproduction.” The researchers also found that barn swallows carrying more carotenoids had deeper red breasts – a sign of healthy, robust individuals – and that those individuals darker in color had greater circulating levels of carotenoids at the start of the breeding season. Previous studies by Safran and her colleagues suggest females are more attracted to males with deep red breasts and that they “cheat” less on their male partners than other females. The breast coloring appears to be an indication of status, performance, testosterone and nutrition, she said. The study was funded in part by the National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and CU-Boulder’s Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program and the Biosciences Undergraduate Research Skills and Training. Both CU-Boulder programs offer undergraduates hourly wages or stipends to work with faculty members on innovative research projects. “One of the most exciting things that I do in my job is train students both in the field and in the lab,” said Safran. “Because this work requires many hands, it would be impossible to do these kinds of studies without them.” A 2008 study by Safran and her colleagues showed the testosterone of male North American barn swallows skyrocketed early in the breeding season when their breast colors were artificially enhanced to the deep red most attractive to females. The birds likely had more testosterone

racing through their bodies because of amorous interactions with the opposite sex and more run-ins with competing males.  – Researchers investigate bird’s ‘carotenoid circle of life’. – “What you see is what you get” often is the mantra in the highly competitive life of birds, as they use brilliant displays of color to woo females for mating. Now researchers are finding that carotenoids – the compounds responsible for amping up red, orange and yellow colors of birds – also may play a role in color perception and in a bird’s ability to reproduce, making it a cornerstone in birds’ vitality. These are among the findings presented by Kevin McGraw, an Arizona State University assistant professor in the School of Life Sciences, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Chicago. McGraw presented his findings Feb. 13 during a special session on evolutionary biology, called “Beyond the beagle: evolutionary approaches to the study of social behavior.” “Carotenoids play fascinating and multifaceted roles in the lives of animals,” McGraw said. “For years, we have known that, as antioxidants, they boost human health and, as colorants, make birds colorful and sexually attractive. Now, we are blending as well as expanding these paradigms and studying how consumption of carotenoids can improve or ‘tune’ their color vision, promote the health of offspring as they develop in the egg, and possibly improve male sperm quality.

” McGraw presented his findings in the paper, “Carotenoids as narcissistic agents of color evolution: A bird’s eye view.” McGraw, a biochemical ecologist and evolutionary biologist who has studied diet, coloration and physiology in birds, led the work that included post-doctoral researcher Melissah Rowe and Ph.D. student, Matthew Toomey. Researchers have long thought that carotenoids – responsible for the orange color of carrots and the red of lobster – play an important role in the evolutionary lives of birds by providing them with health benefits and vibrant colors. Because these pigments are limited in the diet and for physiological purposes, their use in coloration provides “honest, accurate information” about the bird’s overall quality as a mate. McGraw’s new work expands the scope of research on carotenoids to include many other behavioral and physiological benefits they may provide, including superior color perception and gamete formation. “Like in humans, carotenoids are also deposited in the retina, where they may protect the eye from photodamage by the Sun. There also is evidence that they can shape how well colors can be discriminated visually,” McGraw explained. “Ultimately, we envision a model where the more carotenoids you eat, the better you can see color, the better mates you choose, and the redder the foods you choose, thus giving you even more carotenoids for health,

attractiveness and vision. In a sense it is a carotenoid circle of life.” McGraw and colleagues are studying a native Arizona desert songbird species (the house finch) as well as two widespread ducks (mallard and northern pintail) to better understand how carotenoids are allocated and prioritized among all of these diverse fitness (survival and reproduction) functions. “For decades, poultry scientists and human egg-consumers have been interested in the carotenoids that chicken hens put into their yellow egg yolks. We now know that these nutrients aid in the health, growth, and perhaps eventual coloration and mate quality of their offspring,” McGraw said. Carotenoids may also affect the male gametes, sperm. “Testes and seminal fluid can be enriched with carotenoids, preventing sperm cells from oxidative damage and resulting in greater fertilization ability of males,” McGraw explained. “If this is the case, carotenoids really could enhance nearly every life-stage and aspect of survival and reproduction in birds.” “We are proposing a positive fitness feedback loop for these ‘self-loving molecules,’ given how high carotenoid accumulation can improve one’s state and one’s interest in selecting carotenoid richness in mates and food. This provides a window into how major sexual selection models, such as sensory biases and assortative mating, may be explained by a common, nutritional and narcissistic currency,” McGraw added.  sources: colorado.edu, physorg.com

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L’osso torna nuovo con un’iniezione. Imcb-Cnr di Napoli e Finceramica, spin-off dell’Istec-Cnr di Faenza, hanno brevettato un materiale composito iniettabile, utilizzabile per il trattamento delle fratture e delle patologie del sistema scheletrico. Perfezionato dall’Istituto per i materiali compositi e biomedici del Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche (Imcb-Cnr) di Napoli un nuovo materiale composito, utilizzabile come sostituto osseo per il trattamento delle fratture da traumi e delle patologie del sistema scheletrico, dalla perdita di sostanza ossea all’osteoporosi. Il brevetto è stato depositato con Finceramica Faenza S.p.a., società nata come spin-off dall’Istituto della scienza e tecnologia dei materiali ceramici del Cnr (Istec-Cnr) di Faenza, che si occuperà del potenziale sfruttamento industriale. “Il dispositivo, costituito da un polimero sintetico e materiale bioceramico riassorbibile”, spiega Luigi Ambrosio dell’Imcb-Cnr di Napoli, “è iniettabile mediante tecniche chirurgiche o vie d’accesso anatomiche mini invasive. La solidificazione avviene in pochi minuti, compatibilmente con i tempi della chirurgia, colmando il difetto osseo e stimolando la rigenerazione. Una volta riassorbito, infatti, il materiale promuove il processo di rigenerazione del tessuto osseo, come dimostrato da studi preclinici effettuati presso gli Istituti

Ortopedici Rizzoli di Bologna, riparando così fratture che presentano tempi lunghi di recupero o riempiendo cavità dovute a interventi chirurgici particolarmente demolitivi”. Inoltre, specifica il ricercatore, “tale materiale si differenzia dagli attuali cementi ossei perché fornisce migliori proprietà meccaniche ed evita lo sviluppo di calore durante la fase di indurimento e i conseguenti danni ai tessuti circostanti”. La similarità chimico-fisica con la fase minerale dell’osso, unita ad un alto grado di purezza delle materie prime impiegate, “rende questo materiale altamente biocompatibile, evitando effetti collaterali come allergie, nonché osteo-conduttivo e osteo-promozionale, cioè capace di integrarsi pienamente con il tessuto nativo”. Il risultato è frutto di un approccio multidisciplinare: “Un’équipe di chimici, fisici, ingegneri, biologi, medici e chirurghi ha collaborato per realizzare un materiale biomimetico, in grado di replicare sia la composizione chimica sia l’architettura tridimensionale dell’osso naturale, garantendo così il ripristino strutturale del difetto e il recupero funzionale degli apparati”. Il campo di applicabilità, chiarisce Ambrosio, “riguarda tutte le patologie che coinvolgono il sistema scheletrico: dalle più comuni legate al fattore età, quali osteoporosi, artrosi e artriti, alle più gravi, quali sarcomi e cisti ossee”. Il brevetto, del quale Finceramica S.p.a. ha ottenuto il potenziale sfruttamento industriale, ora affronterà la fase della realizzazione dei prototipi, dalle sperimentazioni pre-cliniche su soggetti umani all’industrializzazione. Per informazioni: Luigi Ambrosio Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche -  L’ortopedia è la disciplina chirurgica relativa al trattamento delle affezioni dell’apparato locomotore. Essa include la traumatologia che ha come oggetto

principale il trattamento di lesioni dovute a traumi. La pratica ortopedica risale a epoche lontane. Eppure la parola “ortopedia” viene usata solo dal 1741: fu coniata dal medico francese Nicolas Andry, a partire da due parole greche (orthos: diritto; paideia”: educazione), perché aveva come obiettivo quello di correggere le deformità del fisico nei bambini. Il simbolo dell’ortopedia è infatti un albero torto legato ad un tutore tramite una corda. Un’altra possibile etimologia associa le radici greche orthos e paiden (camminare), assegnando al termine il significato di “camminare diritto”. I primi dispositivi ortopedici apparvero nel IV secolo a.C. per merito di Ippocrate. egli mise a punto una tavola di legno che doveva ridurre le lussazioni e le fratture, secondo il principio di immobilizzazione dell’osso o dell’articolazione. Sempre ad Ippocrate si deve la tecnica ancora attuale per la riduzione della lussazione della spalla. Nel 1741 Nicolas Andry, professore di Medicina a Lione, coniò il termine “ortopedia” nel suo libro “L’orthopédie ou l’art de prévenir et corriger les difformités du corps chez les enfants; le tout par des moyens à la portée des pères et mères et toutes les personnes qui ont des enfants à élever”. Nello stesso testo veniva pubblicata l’immagine dell’albero torto. Nel 1779, Jean-Pierre David scrisse Dissertation sur les effets du mouvement et du repos dans les Maladies chirurgicales, divenuto presto un classico della materia e tradotto in inglese già dal 1790. L’ortopedia fu esercitata fino all’inizio del XIX secolo solo da medici in istituti specializzati, tra cui quello di Venel (1740-1791) in Svizzera, di Delpech a Montpellier, di Pravaz a Parigi e poi a Lione. Nel corso del XIX secolo apparve la pratica della tenotomia per raddrizzare i piedi deformi (la prima tenotomia

sul tendine di Achille fu realizzata nel 1816 da Delpech), per le scoliosi e per diverse posture viziose. La vera e propria chirurgia ortopedica rimase riservata ai bambini e agli adolescenti, con la imponente opera del parigino de Saint-Germain. Per costui, “la chirurgie orthopédique corrige toutes les déformations de l’enfant, du bec de lièvre à l’hypospade, en passant par le genu valgum”.  Louis Xavier Edouard Léopold Ollier medico francese, fin dal 1858 si dedicò ai problemi della ossificazione. Seguendo l’esempio del suo maestro Amédée Bonnet, praticò la chirurgia ossea con degli apparecchi di raddrizzamento, che guidavano le ossa prendendo la forma voluta. Fino al 1860, il termine di ortopedico venne riservato ai fasciatori, ai fabbricanti di corsetti, e ai fabbricanti di calzature per le deformità del piede. Sempre nel XIX secolo, il dottor Pravaz di Lione riuscì a ridurre le lussazioni di anca mediante carrelli e apparecchi di estensione. Nel 1881, il chirurgo generale britannico Arbuthnot Lane propose una tecnica per il trattamento delle fratture, l’osteosintesi, che consiste nel fissare sull’osso delle placche e delle viti per immobilizzarlo aspettando che l’osso si risaldi. Nel 1890, Gluch mise a punto la prima protesi interna di ginocchio: era in avorio e funzionava con una cerniera. L’attuale ambito d’azione dell’ortopedia comprende: prevenzione e cura delle malformazioni congenite e acquisite dell’apparato locomotore;  la diagnostica e la terapia di una lunga serie di malattie che hanno localizzazione negli

organi di sostegno e movimento, cioè colonna vertebrale e arti; la traumatologia, che negli ultimi decenni, in conseguenza dell’aumentato ritmo di vita, è divenuta parte integrante dell’ortopedia ed è cresciuta enormemente. Tutto ciò ha dilatato moltissimo il patrimonio scientifico e tecnico dell’ortopedia, con la conseguente nascita di superspecialità dotate di autonomia operativa, come la chirurgia della mano, del rachide ecc. La traumatologia è una branca dell’ortopedia, che si occupa di applicare le opportune terapie (normalmente, terapie d’urgenza) nei confronti di persone colpite da trauma acuto, in genere per incidenti stradali, domestici o sul lavoro, oppure per ferite di arma di taglio o da fuoco. I traumi costituiscono la causa più frequente di morte negli individui al di sotto dei 30 anni e sono al quarto posto tra le cause di morte della popolazione nel suo complesso.La terapia ortopedica si è sviluppata enormemente negli ultimi vent’anni e si avvale sempre più di una raffinata scelta di materiali e della sempre maggior conoscenza nell’ambito della tecnologia degli stessi. Ciò ha consentito una migliore tenuta delle osteosintesi metalliche e una sempre più perfetta funzionalità delle protesi articolari. Tali protesi si avvalgono di materiali utilizzati dall’industria aerospaziale (come ceramiche, plastiche ecc.) che hanno inedite caratteristiche meccaniche e presentano maggiore tollerabilità locale.  N.D.R.

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]]> http://goodnews.ws/2010/03/06/rivoluzione-della-chirurgia-ortopedica-un%e2%80%99iniezione-sana-l%e2%80%99osso-danneggiato-e-ritorna-come-nuovo/feed/ 0 http://goodnews.ws/2010/03/05/it%e2%80%99s-raining-fish-hallelujah/ http://goodnews.ws/2010/03/05/it%e2%80%99s-raining-fish-hallelujah/#comments Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:24:59 +0000 goodnews http://goodnews.ws/?p=13677 March 1st, 2010 Raining fish nothing new for Outback. FISH raining from the sky is nothing new for one Territory community, a resident said yesterday. The Sunday Territorian yesterday reported how fish had been falling from the sky at Lajamanu, in the desert, 550km southwest of Katherine. But Baden Williams, from Hermannsburg in Central Australia, said he remembered fish falling on the sports oval when he was a child. “We had a big mob falling in Hermannsburg,” he said. “As I was growing up there as a small boy, we saw a lot of fish, just falling around on the plain as we walked. “It’s a normal thing, it’s nothing unusual for us.” Mr Williams, 45, said local children would go fishing on the oval in the desert town when fish had fallen. “I hear a lot of people talking about fish falling out of the sky – as I was getting older I saw it myself,” he said. “Lots of kids fishing in the oval. Some made spears and threw the spear. “Last time I seen it was in ‘89. It was falling right in front of us, in the water, all the fish,” he said. “They thought I was crazy, but I wasn’t. “The ones that fall from the sky were 5, 10cm,” Mr Williams said. Yesterday’s story sparked readers around the Territory to report their experiences – and fears – of creatures falling from the sky. Les Dillon, 48, of Maningrida, said the

Sunday Territorian story confirmed one of his own. “In the early ’80s I was at the Alice Springs Tavern Hotel and when I walked out the door I saw all those little fish, fallen out of the sky,” he said. “Yes, I had a couple of beers, six, so none of my mates believed me. “I was really excited to see it had happened again, I rang heaps of people to let them know I had not been drunk back then, it had really happened. “I’ve cut the story out of the paper, too, and carry it with me in my wallet as proof,” Mr Dillon said. Joe Ashley, 55, from Jabiru, called to say he was worried “something really spooky” was going on in the Territory and more strange things could happen soon. “Usually fish are in the water, now they are falling out of the sky – what if anything bigger falls out of the sky next? “It could be crocodiles, that’d be really scary,” he said. – It’s raining fish … no really February 28th, 2010 WHILE the Top End and Central Australia have been battered by torrential rains, a Territory town has had fish falling from the sky. The freak phenomena happened not once, but twice, on Thursday and Friday afternoon about 6pm at Lajamanu, about 550km southwest of Katherine. NEWSBREAKER Christine Balmer, who took these photos of the fish on the ground and in a bucket, had to pinch herself when she was told “hundreds and hundreds” of small white fish had fallen

from the sky. “It rained fish in Lajamanu on Thursday and Friday night,” she said, “They fell from the sky everywhere. “Locals were picking them up off the footy oval and on the ground everywhere. “These fish were alive when they hit the ground.” Mrs Balmer, the aged care co-ordinator at the Lajamanu Aged Care Centre, said her family interstate thought she had lost the plot when she told them about the event. “I haven’t lost my marbles,” she said, reassuring herself. “Thank god it didn’t rain crocodiles.” Lajamanu sits on the edge of the Tanami Desert, hundreds of kilometres from Lake Argyle and Lake Elliott and even further from the coast. But it’s not the first time the remote community has been bombarded by fins from above. In 2004, locals reported fish falling from the sky, and in 1974, a similar incident captured international headlines. The small white fish are believed to be spangled perch, which are very common through much of northern Australia. Weather bureau senior forecaster Ashley Patterson said the geological conditions were perfect on Friday for a tornado in the Douglas Daly region. He said it would have been an ideal weather situation to allow the phenomena to occur – but no tornados have been reported to the authority. “It’s a very unusual event,” he said. “With an

updraft, (fish and water picked up) could get up high – up to 60,000 or 70,000 feet. “Or possibly from a tornado over a large water body – but we haven’t had any reports,” he said.   news from ntnews.com.au  -  A history of amazing ‘rainfall’ There is a long history of strange objects raining from the sky, with these strange occurrences among the most notable: 1st Century: Pliny The Elder wrote about storms of frogs and fish, foreshadowing many modern incidents. 1794: French soldiers stationed in Lalain, near Lille, reported toads falling from the sky during heavy rain. 1857: Sugar crystals as big as quarter of an inch in diameter fell over the course of two days in Lake County, California. golf balls 1876: A woman in Kentucky reported meat flakes raining from the sky. Tests found the meat was venison. 1902: Dust whipped up in Illinois caused muddy rain to fall over many north-eastern U.S. states. 1940: A tornado in Russia brought a shower of coins from the 16th Century. 1969: Golf balls fell from the sky on Punta Gorda in Florida (above). 1976: In San Luis Opisbo in California, blackbirds and pigeons rained from the sky for two days. -  Raining animals is a rare meteorological phenomenon, although occurrences have been reported from many countries throughout history.

One hypothesis that has been offered to explain this phenomenon is that strong winds travelling over water sometimes pick up creatures such as fish or frogs, and carry them for up to several miles. However, this primary aspect of the phenomenon has never been witnessed or scientifically tested. The animals most likely to drop from the sky in a rainfall are fish and frogs, with birds coming third. Sometimes the animals survive the fall, especially fish, suggesting the animals are dropped shortly after extraction. Several witnesses of raining frogs describe the animals as startled, though healthy, and exhibiting relatively normal behavior shortly after the event. In some incidents, however, the animals are frozen to death or even completely encased in ice. There are examples where the product of the rain is not intact animals, but shredded body parts. Some cases occur just after storms having strong winds, especially during tornadoes. However, there have been many unconfirmed cases in which rainfalls of animals have occurred in fair weather and in the absence of strong winds or waterspouts. Rains of animals (as well as rains of blood or blood-like material, and similar anomalies) play a central role in the epistemological writing of Charles Fort, especially in his first book, The Book

of the Damned. Fort collected stories of these events and used them both as evidence and as a metaphor in challenging the claims of scientific explanation. The English language idiom “it is raining cats and dogs”, referring to a heavy downpour, is of uncertain etymology, and there is no evidence that it has any connection to the “raining animals” phenomenon. Tornadoes may lift up animals into the air and deposit them miles away. French physicist André-Marie Ampère was among the first scientists to take seriously accounts of raining animals. He tried to explain rains of frogs with a hypothesis that was eventually refined by other scientists. Speaking in front of the Society of Natural Sciences, Ampère suggested that at times frogs and toads roam the countryside in large numbers, and that the action of violent winds can pick them up and carry them great distances. More recently, a scientific explanation for the phenomenon has been developed that involves waterspouts. Waterspouts are capable of capturing objects and animals and lifting them into the air. Under this theory, waterspouts or tornados transport animals to relatively high altitudes, carrying them over large distances. The winds are capable of carrying the animals over a relatively

wide area and allow them to fall in a concentrated fashion in a localized area. More specifically, some tornadoes can completely suck up a pond, letting the water and animals fall some distance away in the form of a rain of animals.This hypothesis appears supported by the type of animals in these rains: small and light, usually aquatic. It is also supported by the fact that the rain of animals is often preceded by a storm. However the theory does not account for how all the animals involved in each individual incident would be from only one species, and not a group of similarly-sized animals from a single area. These events may occur easily with birds in flight. In contrast, it is harder to find a plausible explanation for rains of terrestrial animals; the enigma persists despite scientific studies. Sometimes, scientists have been incredulous of extraordinary claims of rains of fish. For example, in the case of a rain of fish in Singapore in 1861, French naturalist Francis de Laporte de Castelnau explained that the supposed rain took place during a migration of walking catfish, which are capable of dragging themselves over the land from one puddle to another. Thus, he argued that the appearance of fish on the ground immediately after a rain was easily explained, as these animals usually move over soft ground or after a rain.

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