The Gatochkach Shredder

I had never seen anything like this in my life. This monster shredder developed in Germany takes the "meat" out of "recycling"! Worth-a-watch!

Three-person IVF may prevent inherited ills

British scientists have mastered a controversial artificial reproduction technique that could prevent incurable inherited diseases by swapping DNA between two fertilized human eggs.

Lead researcher Doug Turnbull of Newcastle University said on Wednesday he hoped the first babies free from so-called mitochondrial diseases would be born within three years.

But applying the technique in the clinic, to help women at risk of passing on the disorders, will require a change in British law that currently bans reproduction from such manipulated embryos.

Around one in 6,500 children are born with serious diseases caused by malfunctioning mitochondrial DNA, leading to a range of conditions that can include fatal heart problems, liver failure, brain disorders, blindness and muscular weakness.

The Newcastle team's technique effectively replaces mitochondria, which act as tiny energy-generating batteries inside cells, so a baby doesn't inherit faults from its mother. Mitochondria are only passed down the maternal line.

"What we've done is like changing the battery on a laptop. The energy supply now works properly, but none of the information on the hard drive has been changed," Turnbull said.

"A child born using this method would have correctly functioning mitochondria, but in every other respect would get all their genetic information from their father and mother."

Within a day of fertilization, using in vitro fertilization, nuclear DNA is removed from the embryo and implanted into a donor egg, whose own genetic material has been removed and discarded.

The resulting fetus inherits nuclear DNA, or genes, from both its parents but mitochondrial DNA from a second "mother."

For critics like Josephine Quintavalle of campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics that makes it "a step too far in meddling with the building blocks of human life."

Artificial hip destroyed his sex life!

Artificial hips made in Ireland squeak and are defective, say 750 lawsuits against the manufacturers Stryker, the medical device and implants manufacturer. The artificial hips in question have now been recalled.

Most complaints allege that the hips squeak and one plaintiff says it destroyed his sex life. Another says he sounds like the Tin Man from Wizard of Oz and has put his squeaky hip on You Tube and attracted over 50,000 viewers (see embedded clips).

Stryker faces a barrage of complaints that replacement hips made in its Irish facility in Cork caused pain and made embarrassing squeaking noises. One patient complained that the problem interrupted sex with his wife as she started laughing as his hip squeaked.

Patients have stated that reported that while the noise was amusing at first it quickly became upsetting.

Frances Jones had a Stryker implant to replace her left hip in October 2007. Jones is seeking $2.5m (€1.85m) in damages plus costs in Illinois according to the Irish Sunday Times, Stryker Ireland and its parent company’s Stryker Orthopedics and Stryker Corporation are named in the suit.

Jones claims her artificial hip had “excessive levels of manufacturing residuals” that made it squeak.

Among those who have had to have their artificial Stryker hip replaced is Mike Mueller, head of an online real estate business.

Mueller put a video of his squeaky Stryker hip on YouTube and has attracted almost 50,000 views (see embedded video).

“They used to call me the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz as they could hear me creaking as I came down the corridor,” he said.

“I had the hip fitted in April 2007 and it started squeaking four months later,” he said. “Eventually I was in so much pain I had to have it replaced. I am worried that if I need a third hip replacement it will so much harder to fit and I might be confined to a wheelchair.”

Stryker Ireland’s accounts for 2008 showed the company employed 524 people here.

Doug Kreis, a personal injury lawyer in Florida, said the claims were related to “product liability.”

“The injuries claimed by the patients . . . relate to an alleged mechanism by which the natural lubricant layer between the ceramic ball and liner is compromised.”

Baba Ramdev's Dogs (Yoga Wale Kuttey)

Kumar Paswan & his Parasitic Twin

This youngster from India has his own twin in his womb. Well it's really weird, maybe this is the first case in the medical history of the twin in the womb in his village in rural India. Kumar Paswan has a difference with the other boys in his ages. Kumar Paswan has his twin inside his womb.

To some in his remote Indian village he is a living version of India 's multi-limbed God Lakshmi and worshipped every day as holy. To others eight-year-old Kumar Paswan is a monster, is stoned on sight and forced to hide away his astonishing medical condition. But all the tragic youngster wants is to be normal and has launched an appeal for the thousands of pounds needed for an operation to remove his parasitic twin.

The twin stopped developing in the womb before it separated fully from Kumar and has left him with seven limbs. "When he was born the doctors said he wouldn't live long but here he is and apart from how he looks he is very healthy," said his dad Veeresh Paswan, of Bihar, eastern India . "I am tired of being different. I just want to live normally," added the youngster.

Speed Controls being used in Eastern Canada

How's this for excellent speed control?


I don't know about you, but this would slow me down! People slow down and try to "straddle" the hole .....


This is actually a speed control device that is in use. It is much cheaper than speed cameras.


Pretty clever - especially when moved around each day. Isn't art wonderful?

Problems Caused By Deforestation