Don't put all your eggs in one...

If you're a female and you've ever needed cash, fast, you've jokingly had the thought "I could donate my eggs." But really, what is in involved with donating eggs? Is it as easy as the ads on Craiglist make it out to be?

First, you have to qualify to donate. Generally they'd like the donor to be in her twenties and free of health problems. You'd have to submit blood samples, recent medical history, and fill out a genetic questionnaire.

If you pass all that, you can look forward to more needles. Lots more needles.

If you're on the pill or some other sort of birth control, you'd have to go off of it and have a 'natural' cycle. They'd then start monitoring your cycle from day 1, taking blood samples to see if your hormone levels were ideal for donation or not. At day 19, they would check you again. At the start of your next day 1, the real fun would begin.

Typically, you would next have an ovarian scan. What is an ovarian scan? It is when they stick a long, thin probe up your vagina and peek around at your eggs in your ovaries. For some, this can be painful because the technician will have to press on your lower abdomen so your ovaries present better to the sonogram device. Just a lot of pressure and squishing, really.

You give more blood to monitor your hormone level, injecting yourself with hormones in the fatty area of your belly over the course of your cycle. You are checked periodically during the next few weeks, sometimes having to have your hormone level adjusted depending on the level in your blood.

Just before harvesting, you give yourself a final big injection of hormone. All these shots are to encourage your ovaries to over produce egg 'let down', releasing more than one egg during that particular monthly cycle.

Egg collection is a short process. You are sedated. Once under, the actual retrieval of eggs takes about 15 minutes. It consists of sticking a long thing probe into the vagina and then using a very thin needle to extract the eggs, which can be as many as 13. While you aren't ready to run a marathon, you aren't totally out of commission either. A day off is suggested.

After the procedure there is a possibility of suffering from Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome(OHSS). This could be a bloated abdomen, PMS type symptoms, vomiting, and a host of other problems. If you experience any of these, your doctor should be notified immediately.

So, as you can see, you can't just "drop in" and lay a couple of your ovum on the table. It is at least a 2 month long process and sometimes painful.

Next time you need some quick cash, I'd suggest selling your Prada bag on ebay.

Yet another reason to support commercial fishing...

In ancient Malay mythology, a man and his sister were out foraging for food one day when the sister was bit by leeches. To relieve her itching, she ran to the sea. Before diving in, she asked her brother what he would do with himself in her absence. After speaking about it, she decided to turn herself into a sea cow. Her brother agreed to do the same.

The woman in the story was named Dugong.

Dugong are of the Sirenia, which also includes manatees, and mostly inhabit waters off of Australia. They are herbivores and feed mainly on sea grasses, which is where the term "sea cow" is derived from. They are ugly creatures, yet gentle. Dugong can live up to 70 years of age, but do not start to reproduce until the age of 17. Females also seldom produce more than one offspring per lifetime.

Sadly, these animals are endanger, again, by commercial fishing and other human influence. I did say they ate sea grass, but without drawing it all out, the commercial fishing waste and farmland washouts filled with chemicals are killing the environment sea grass grows in. This is called "eutrophication". The fact that Dugong like to habitat shallow waters where sea vessels now regularly make passage can only lead you to the deduction of a large mammal shredded by a propeller. If these ships happen to be fishing vessels, you can also come to the conclusion that Dugong similarly suffer the fate of dolphins caught in the net - death.

So, what is being done to help save these gentle giants? The Australian government has listed them as a "protected" animal. Dugong were traditionally hunted by native Australian tribes like the Aborigines, but that poses little to no threat today. The main threat is pollution killing the environment they live in. With all opposing factors to the population in consideration, today's scientists and researchers give, at best, the odds of increasing the population MAYBE 5% per year.

It has often been said that, for where Dugong are found, the ecosystem could best be measured by how many Dugong lived there. In 1987 there were 3500 Dugong. Within 4 years there were 1700. Considering how commercial fishing has blossomed in the past 10 years, you can add up today's factors. I am fairly proficient at math, so let's do this little equation of sorts...

P= current Dugong population, currently a very weak variable
Pf= female population of Dugong
L = lifetime of 70 years
K = Dugong born
X= the rate at which Dugong are becoming extinct

So..

1K/L(Pf) + ( - X) = P

One stray beam of hope is that they recently have seen an increasing amount of these animals along the coasts of Thailand...so maybe there is hope yet.

In the long run P, sadly, will be negative if X isn't lessened dramatically. Greenpeace has been quoted as saying, "What we need is a marine reserve, not a reserve for the marines."

Well said.




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Fido is not always man's best friend.

I was just reading over an article on BBC's website about how to survive a dog attack and it got me thinking about all the times I'd been attacked by a dog. Read: 2. My background has given me the chance to work with many dogs, cats, and other mammals that we humans like to call companions. BBC has some very generic tips, so I thought I would give some of my own based on experience.

1. BBC has "Don't turn your back". I second this. The only reason you should turn your back is if you are swiveling to get out of a dog's grip, paw or mouth.
2. Loud noises do not help. Most times, when a dog is in attack mode, they are only sparked on by screaming and yelling.
3. Hit the dog, I suggest if you are locked onto by a dog's jaws, you whack it in the mouth as much as possible until it lets go. A dog's nose is most sensitive. Just remember, once it breaks its grip on your flesh, it will come back for more, so getting another object as a weapon can sometimes help.
4. Be confident and aggressive if you are already being bitten. Scare it. Being scared yourself will only let it overpower you and you will be worse off.
5. Do not run. You will never outrun that dog. Dogs that see prey "in flight" get more excited and more encouraged to attack.

Ways to avoid a dog attack:
1. Do not pet strange dogs. duh. If a dog wanders into your yard that you do not know, leave it alone.
2. If faced with a hostile animal, do not make eye contact. That is an intimidation tactic and can only make them more prone to attack.
3. If you see dogs fighting, unless you are a professional dog trainer/behaviorist, do not attempt to get between them. Make noise - whistle, call a dog's name. You can be seriously injured caught in the crossfire of a dog fight.
4. Stop bathing in bacon grease. It isn't good for your complexion and the neighbor's dog isn't afraid to get his muzzle dirty.


Okay, so the last tip was just a joke, but if you do indeed bathe in bacon grease, you are totally asking for it.



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