The MSFN café - A Penny for Your Thoughts

[mina7601]

5 hours ago, XPerceniol said:

Thank you for your concern, I'm doing much better. Hope everyone is managing as best as can be.

Good to hear that.

[msfntor]

6 hours ago, mina7601 said:

Queen Elizabeth dies at 96, ending an era for Britain

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britains-queen-elizabeth-is-dead-buckingham-palace-2022-09-08/

This news brought me depression after hearing about it yesterday.

Yes, we are all in mourning, she was the queen loved by all... everyone loved her, she was very devoted to her country.

[msfntor]

EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS

HOME / ANIMAL CRUELTY / EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT ANIMAL EXPERIMENTS

 

by Dr. Vernon Coleman
May 18, 2022

 

 1. Every thirty seconds vivisectors around the world kill another thousand animals. They use cats, dogs, puppies, kittens, horses, sheep, rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, monkeys, baboons and any other creature you can think of.

 2 .While waiting to be used in laboratory experiments, animals are kept in solitary confinement in small cages. Alone and frightened they can hear the screams of the other animals being used.

 3. Some of the animals used in laboratory experiments are pets which have been kidnapped, taken off the streets and sold to the vivisectors.

 4. Animals used in experiments are blinded, burned, shot, injected and dissected. They have their eyes sewn up or their limbs broken. Chemicals are injected into their brains and their screams of anguish are coldly recorded.

 5. Three quarters of the experiments performed by vivisectors are done without any anaesthetic.

 6. Most vivisectors have no medical or veterinary training.

 7. Scientists claim that animals are not sentient creatures and are incapable of suffering mental or physical pain.

 8. All animals respond differently to threats of any kind depending on their circumstances (diet, cage size, etc.). None of these factors is allowed for by vivisectors. By locking an animal up in a cage, experimenters have already invalidated their experiment because by altering the animal’s surroundings, the experimenter alters the animal’s susceptibility, its habits, its instincts and its capacity to heal itself. Since these variations are not controlled (cages and surroundings differ) experiments performed on animals kept in cages are of no scientific value.

 9 Many of the diseases which kill or cripple human beings do not affect any other members of the animal kingdom. It is, therefore, impossible to use different species to test drug therapies for these illnesses.

10. Doctors wouldn’t test a drug intended for old people on children (or the other way round). So why test drugs intended for pregnant women on rats? No one would test a drug for premenstrual problems on small boys and yet that would make far more sense than testing such a drug on male rats.

11. Drug tests done on animals can produce dangerously unreliable and misleading information. Thalidomide safely passed tests on animals. Penicillin and aspirin both kill cats. When Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin growing on a culture dish in 1928, he tested the drug on rabbits and discarded it when it seemed useless. Later the drug was tested on a cat and a human patient at the same time. The cat died and the human being lived. If doctors had relied upon animal experiments to decide whether or not penicillin was of any value, the drug would have been discarded long ago. Penicillin even kills guinea pigs – the classic test animal for many drugs. Aspirin can be toxic to rats, mice, dogs, monkeys and guinea pigs as well as cats. Morphine sedates human beings but excites cats, goats and horses. Digitalis, one of the best established and most effective drugs for the treatment of heart disease, is so toxic to animals that if we had relied on animal tests it would have never been cleared for use by humans.

12. Vivisectors admit that most animal experiments are unreliable and produce results which are not relevant to human patients. But they don’t know which experiments are unreliable. Logically, that means that all animal experiments are useless. If you don’t know which experiments you can rely on, you can’t rely on any of them.

13. The very unreliability and unpredictably of animal experiments is what makes them commercially valuable. Drug companies test on animals so that they can say that they have tested their drugs before marketing them. If the tests show that the drugs do not cause serious disorders when given to animals the companies say: `There you are! We have tested our drug – and have proved it to be safe!’ If, on the other hand, tests show that a drug does cause serious problems when given to animals the companies say: `The animal experiments are, of course, unreliable and cannot be used to predict what will happen when the drug is given to humans. We have, however, tested our drug.’ Tests which show that a drug causes cancer or some other serious disease when given to animals are ignored on the grounds that animals are different to people. However, tests which show that a new drug doesn’t kill animals are used as evidence that the drug is safe for human consumption. If you try a drug on enough different animals you can usually end up with at least one set of results which suggest that a drug is safe. Scores of drugs which cause cancer or other serious health problems in animals are widely prescribed for human patients. (See www.vernoncoleman.com for the names of 50).

14. Four out of ten patients who take a prescribed drug which has been tested for safety on animals can expect to suffer severe or noticeable side effects.

15. Surveys show that most practising doctors are opposed to vivisection on scientific grounds.

 

Taken from The Wisdom of Animals by Donna Antoinette Coleman and Vernon Coleman. Available as a paperback and an eBook.

HERE: https://truthcomestolight.com/everything-you-should-know-about-animal-experiments/

 

[XPerceniol]

I feel bad even for little mise.

[mina7601]

11 hours ago, msfntor said:

Yes, we are all in mourning, she was the queen loved by all... everyone loved her, she was very devoted to her country.

I agree! Although I don't live in the UK, I always thought about her.

Edited September 9, 2022 by mina7601

[msfntor]

A life in photos: Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest reigning monarch

Heir-apparent to the throne at 10-years-old, married by 21, Queen of the United Kingdom at 25

1941: The Royal Princesses Elizabeth (Elizabeth II) as ‘Prince Florizel’ and Margaret (1930 – 2002) as ‘Cinderella’ with Hubert Tannar in costume in the Christmas production of ‘Cinderella’ at Windsor Castle, UK, 21st December 1941. (Photo by Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Hulton Archive/Getty Images) 

1950: The Princess Elizabeth of Great Britain greets Winston Churchill at a Guildhall reception, 23 March 1950 in London. In the background can be seen the Prime Minister Mr Atlee and his wife Mrs Atlee. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) 

1982: American politician Ronald Reagan (1911 – 2004), 40th President of the United States, and the Queen of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II at a gala dinner at Windsor Castle, UK, 9th June 1982. (Photo by McCarthy/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

1987: Diana, Princess of Wales, left, and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II smile to well-wishers outside Clarence House gathered on Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s birthday, in London. (AP Photo/Martin Cleaver)

2000: Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by Prince Philip (behind) waves to the crowd from her horse carriage as she leaves Buckingham palace for the opening of parliament in London, 06 December 2000. (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)

2017: Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh are greeted by an elephant at the Zoological Society of London’s Whipsnade Zoo, where they officially opened the zoo’s new Centre for Elephant Care as part of a visit, Tuesday April 11, 2017. (Chris Radburn//PA via AP)

 

More images here: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/09/08/a-life-in-photos-queen-elizabeth-ii-britains-longest-reigning-monarch/ 

 

 

[msfntor]

The Queen’s dogs were her beloved companions. What will happen to them now?

Buckingham Palace released this official photo by Annie Leibowitz in April 2016 to mark the Queen’s 90th birthday. She is pictured with four of her dogs: clockwise from top left Willow (corgi), Vulcan (dorgi), Candy (dorgi) and Holly (corgi).(Annie Leibovitz/UPPA via ZUMA Press)

According to Reader’s Digest, the Queen had a fondness for corgis because of their “energy and untamed spirit.”...

Here: https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/09/09/the-queens-dogs-were-her-beloved-companions-what-will-happen-to-them-now/

Edited September 9, 2022 by msfntor

[msfntor]

Charles III, a lifetime to become king

The prince of Wales, who has clearly voiced his opinions on all the big issues of his times, must now learn the neutrality that characterized Elizabeth II

Charles next to his mother, Elizabeth II, during a parliamentary session in 2019.VICTORIA JONES (AFP)

 

“The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family,” said Charles III, the new monarch of the United Kingdom, in an official statement this Thursday. “We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world. During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held,” he continued....

Here: https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-09-09/charles-iii-a-lifetime-to-become-king.html

Edited September 10, 2022 by msfntor

[msfntor]

The pictures are just PR: the real achievement of the James Webb telescope - voila! technology

9/14/2022, 10:15:08 AM

    

Seeing distant galaxies with our eyes is spectacular, but that's not the point. Here's what NASA's telescope has really contributed to science and space exploration

The Carina Nebula, as recorded by the James Webb Telescope (Photo: NASA)

 

The pictures are just PR: the real achievement of the James Webb Telescope

Seeing distant galaxies with our eyes is spectacular, but that's not the point.

Here's what NASA's telescope has really contributed to science and space exploration

Yaniv Yair, in collaboration with "The Technology", the technology division of Bank Hapoalim

14/09/2022

Wednesday, September 14, 2022, 09:48

 

In the last few weeks, news has been published for the morning about the impressive and far-reaching achievements of the formidable "James Webb" space telescope, which was launched into space at the end of 2021, in the midst of Christmas.

Among the achievements: a high-quality scan of the planet Jupiter, spectacular energy ripples from dying stars billions of kilometers away from us, and up to Einstein's rings - a phenomenon in which the movement of light rays coming from a celestial sphere is disturbed by a particularly large mass, which the viewer recognizes as a ring of light.

James Webb, after whom the estimated $10 billion telescope is named, was an American aviator, educator and the second director of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, also known as NASA.

Not just pictures

There is no doubt that the images taken so far by the powerful instrument look like they were taken from the series "Star Trek".

The photos that were revealed to the public are real, of course, but were well edited, to illustrate the spectacular discoveries and documentation.

But they are only intended mainly for public relations.

James Webb has other far-reaching achievements from the last few weeks, during which he cruised in space between shots.

The information that came from the web, among other things, made it possible to place the Italian research satellite LASER-2 in orbit around the Earth.

It is a compressed ball of nickel alloy and other metals, in which dozens of reflectors are embedded - light reflectors built to return the beam exactly in the direction from which it came.

Using precise laser measurements of the satellite's position in relation to other planets such as the Earth, the scientists plan to investigate with greater precision the effects of the gravity of a large body - such as the Earth itself - on space-time, as well as on the gravity that outlines the satellite's orbit.

Already in the last century, the effect of gravity on speed in creating a different time dimension was known.

From the clock experiment (Haifley-Keating experiment) - in which clocks were sent into orbit around the earth in which time passed more slowly than clocks on earth and from movies we grew up on such as Back to the Future, The Flash and more - we learn about the significance of speed in order to create a black hole, through which , currently only in the movies, the heroes managed to move to another time dimension - to surf in time.

To see and not to touch

The observations of the distant galaxies are in terms of seeing and not touching - because of the great distance at the moment it is not possible to reach them, at least until we know for sure what the distance to them is, by using measurement satellites such as lars2.

At the same time, humanity will have to produce a really fast spaceship that can overcome effects such as gravity, the drag force of the atmosphere, temperature, and more.

And yes, she would also need to be able to return.

As for black holes, it is known that their center of gravity is so high that they swallow up what is around them.

Everything that enters them, is drawn to the center of gravity of the hole and disappears.

That is, in order for us to cross a black hole, move to another time dimension and surf through time as described in the movies, a long time will be required.

But at least we can look at the pictures.

 

Here: https://newsrnd.com/tech/2022-09-14-the-pictures-are-just-pr--the-real-achievement-of-the-james-webb-telescope---voila!-technology.SJQVqpZ1-o.html

[msfntor]

Dart mission: NASA probe to throw asteroid Dimorphos off course

9/17/2022, 1:01:00 PM

    

What can be done when an asteroid is headed for Earth? NASA wants a probe to collide with a minor planet to throw it off course. The collision will be streamed live.

This is what it should look like: It is the first planetary defense mission in space history.

On September 26, the "Dart" spacecraft is scheduled to hit the "Didymos" binary asteroid system, throwing the asteroid "Dimorphos" out of its orbit.

Andrea Riley is one of those responsible for the "Double Asteroid Redirection Test" - Dart for short.

Andrea Riley, NASA's Dart program director:

"We're constantly on the lookout for potential new asteroids and threats.

And the size of Dimorphos is in the class we're most concerned about - about 140 to 60 meters across.

So this test will give us confidence that we have a defense strategy in place should a threat ever be identified.”

The Dart probe was launched from California in November 2021.

With the crash, NASA wants to find out whether you can really distract an asteroid from its collision course with Earth.

Nancy Chabot, Director of Dart Coordination:

“It's those few hundred meter objects that are known not to pose a threat in the foreseeable future, but we have currently detected less than 50 percent of them.

So it makes sense to talk about this from a planetary defense perspective - something a few hundred meters across wouldn't trigger a global event.

But the regional devastation could be the size of a city or a small state or a small country, and that's why it's very devastating.”

 

Cameras on the probe are to record the impact on “Dimorphos” and send valuable data back to Earth.

Elena Adams, Nasa Systems Engineer:

“According to our calculations and the way we've been streaming so far, we're able to get images up to two and a half seconds before impact - or maybe even a second and a half before impact.

That means you really see it in real time.

You see the impact.”

Millions of people can follow the first kamikaze flight in space live in front of their screens.

Source: spiegel

Here: https://newsrnd.com/tech/2022-09-17-dart-mission--nasa-probe-to-throw-asteroid-dimorphos-off-course.BJBxKmXZi.html#:~:text=On

Edited September 17, 2022 by msfntor

[msfntor]

Want to repair your cells? Take them on vacation

Chronic stress is a serious enemy of physiological balance; that is why taking a break is important to avoid cell damage

 

GUILLERMO LÓPEZ LLUCH

10 SEP 2022 - 19:17 UTC

We may not even realize it, but many of us live in conditions of almost continuous stress. From the moment that the alarm brings us back from the land of dreams until it is time to return there again, we are subject to different forms of stress that can affect us badly.

Chronic stress is a serious enemy of physiological balance, and one of the main triggers of diseases like metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, some neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and chronic inflammation. Illnesses closely related to our life habits.

That is why taking a break is important to relieve stress and repair cell damage. The question is: do we actually rest while on vacation? Or do we become even more stressed when we are rushing in the middle of a stampede, stuck in long airport lines and racing to put our umbrella on the first line of the beach?

The side effects of stress

We are constantly receiving information in the form of sensory stimuli from the outside, but also from the inside. This is how we detect hunger, thirst, sleepiness, pain, discomfort and more. While many of these sensations rely on nerve conduction, others are produced because our cells and organs release substances that inform other cells and organs. These substances are known as local factors and hormones.

For example, when we need to react immediately to defend ourselves from danger, we release substances like adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol, which activate the organs so they produce a rapid response that either makes us alert or allows us to escape.

These stress hormones request a response from our body, either defensive or offensive, that is necessary for survival. We notice it immediately in symptoms such as dry mouth, sweaty hands, increased heart rate or headaches. The problem is that we usually get stressed in the office, on the couch, at home, in the supermarket or even while chatting with friends. In those situations, our body receives signals of danger, but our muscles and organs do not respond to them – we neither fight nor flee.

When that “contradiction” becomes permanent, it causes serious problems. Chronic stress keeps our cells in a state of continuous activation that causes molecular and cellular damage, chronic inflammatory responses and a whole list of side effects that affect our health. The solution? To loosen up a little.

Necessary relaxation: the effect of endorphins and other hormones

The effects of rest and relaxation on our cells are more than confirmed. The scientific evidence indicates that rest and restorative sleep help to eliminate the accumulated damage in them, and to recover the natural rhythms of sleep and wakefulness.

Melatonin (the “sleep hormone”) plays an essential role here, activating the elimination of damaged cellular structures. This stops cell waste from accumulating and prevents neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, from progressing.

On the other hand, a pleasant vacation will release endorphins in our body. Known as the “happy hormones,” they are small proteins that stimulate the brain’s pleasure centers. They are considered endogenous opioids, and our neurons release them when we are relaxed, when we are happy and when we exercise. Although the molecular effects of these neurotransmitters are not entirely clear, some evidence indicates that they could prevent the progression of neurodegenerative diseases.

Another neurotransmitter that is released when we are relaxed is serotonin, another substance known as a happy hormone. Its deficiency has been associated with multiple diseases, particularly chronic fatigue, but also dementia or serious Covid-19.

Vacations improve health

Taking all these factors into account, it is clear that enjoying a relaxing vacation that takes us away from the everyday stress is important to recover the physiological balance that allows us to maintain a good health.

Simply lowering the levels of stress hormones, while increasing those that produce pleasure and relaxation, helps the cells eliminate accumulated damage and prevent multiple diseases. And you don’t have to go to exotic destinations or dream beaches: just put aside the pressures, rest without worries and enjoy. With that we gain a lot in health and our cells appreciate it.

And when the holidays are over, it would not hurt to keep in mind how good well-organized rest is for our body.

Guillermo López Lluch is a professor of cell biology, associate researcher at the Andalusian Center for Developmental Biology and researcher in metabolism, aging and immune and antioxidant systems at the Pablo de Olavide University.

 

Here: https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2022-09-10/want-to-repair-your-cells-take-them-on-vacation.html

[msfntor]

Zoo removes five parrots because they insulted visitors
"We were a little bit concerned about the children," the British zoo's director has said, referring to the animals' foul language

02 OCT 2020 - 08:47 UPDATED: 02 OCT 2020 - 10:58 UTC

One of the parrots set aside for insulting visitors to Lincolnshire Zoo.
STEVE NICHOLS (AP)

A zoo in the United Kingdom has decided to remove five parrots from public view because they were uttering insults and swear words at visitors. "They went into a rage and they were all spouting swear words," the chief executive of the facility, in the eastern English county of Lincolnshire, England, has said. "We were a bit worried about the kids," Steve Nicholds told CNN Travel.

The Friskney park, which opened in 2003 and is home to about 1,500 parrots, accepted a new group of birds on Aug. 15. Following their procedures, they were kept in quarantine in an isolated room before being reunited with the rest of the animals. According to the Lincolnshire Live website, they soon discovered that the new acquisitions, all African grey parrots, had something in common: their ability to expletive.

It didn't help deter the animals when employees joked and laughed at the parrots, according to the center's manager. "Over the past 25 years, we've always accepted that parrots sometimes use language that's a little bit racy, and we've gotten used to that," Nicholds acknowledges. "But, purely by chance, we took in five in the same week and, because they were all in the same quarantine, the room filled up with foul-mouthed birds."

"The more they insulted us, the more we laughed, and that motivated them to continue swearing," says the manager, who acknowledges that the birds have had their way with several visitors, and that they especially preyed on a young girl, although he assures that no one has complained to them. His concern, however, is for the younger ones.

Now, the birds have been put in a room away from the public. "The intention is that, hopefully, they will learn from the other parrots around them," says Nicholds, who explains that African grey parrots have excellent vocal mimicry skills. The next step will be to release them in areas where they are separated so that, if they continue to swear, they won't resonate as much as when all five were together.

Here: https://elpais.com/elpais/2020/10/01/mundo_animal/1601536074_238898.html

[msfntor]

I never use foul language, but you... if you do, beware not to be isolated in one of British zoo's

[msfntor]

Self-care basics

 

While it’s great to have professional support, there are things you can do on your own to take care of your mind ... We like this guide from Online SOS.

Here’s a list of our favorite things to do. They might seem obvious, but we think it’s helpful to have a list to look at.

Have a cup of a hot beverage

Go for a walk

Watch videos of cute animals ... look at some puppies

Stay hydrated

Make sure to eat enough nutritious food

Get enough sleep and rest

Stick to your exercise routine if you have one, or use other evidence-based techniques to complete the “stress cycle” and help your body feel physiologically safer

 

- from here: https://www.tallpoppy.com/resources

Edited September 18, 2022 by msfntor

[msfntor]

From the time of Ramses II: a rare and historic burial cave was discovered in Palmahim

9/18/2022

As in Indiana Jones, photo: Emil Eljem, Israel Antiquities Authority

 

A burial cave from the time of Pharaoh Ramses II, containing dozens of intact objects, was unexpectedly discovered in the Palmachim National Park.

The cave, which was accidentally discovered by a tractor that hit a rock during development work, was breached for the first time since it was closed by people about 3,300 years ago - during the reign of King Ramses II.

The objects were found on the floor of the cave as they were placed in the ancient burial ceremony.

An exciting and unusual discovery in the Palmachim National Park from the time of Ramses the Great - the king, who some identify with the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

During work by the Nature and Parks Authority to develop the garden last Wednesday, a tractor hit a rock, unexpectedly revealing the ceiling of an ancient burial cave.

 

Dror Citron, inspector of the Antiquities Authority, was the first to recognize the space.

Archaeologists from the Antiquities Authority were called to the place, who descended the ladder into an amazing space that seemed frozen in time.

In the cave, many dozens of intact pottery and bronze vessels were placed exactly as they were placed in their place during the burial ceremony, about 3,300 years ago.

These vessels were burial offerings and were buried with the dead in the belief that they would be used by them in the next world.

The cave was carved in the shape of a square, and in the center of its ceiling was a pillar.

 

Dr. Eli Yanai, Bronze Age expert at the Antiquities Authority: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime find. It's not every day that you see an Indiana Jones set - a cave with tools on the floor that haven't been touched in 3,300 years. We're talking about the Late Bronze Age." These are precisely the days of the famous king, Ramses II. The fact that the cave was sealed, and was not looted in later periods, allows us, with the scientific means available today, to extract a great deal of information from the objects and materials that survived on them, and which are not visible to the eye, including organic materials. The cave can provide We have a complete picture of the burial customs in the Late Bronze Age. In the cave, mainly dozens of pottery vessels of various sizes and shapes were left. Among them, there are deep and shallow bowls, some of which are painted red, set (bowls with a high leg) cooking pots, jugs and clay candles that contained oil for lighting ".

 

According to Dr. Yanai, some of the jugs were produced on the coasts of Lebanon and Syria. Next to the jugs, small storage vessels were found - mainly pitchers and pitchers, which were intended to store and trade precious materials in small quantities. These vessels were imported from the area of Tyre, Sidon and other port cities on the coast of Lebanon. Also, Many pottery vessels were found that were imported from Cyprus. According to Dr. Yanai, vessels of this type were imported to Israel in large quantities, and were common by-products for burial.

Next to the pottery, bronze arrowheads or spearheads were found in the cave.

According to their position, they were found in garbage from organic material that did not survive.

"The findings in the cave date to the 13th century BCE (Late Bronze Age 2b)," says Dr. Yanai. "During this period - during the 19th Egyptian dynasty, the days of Ramses II, there was an Egyptian administration in the land, which allowed safe conditions for trade These economic and social processes are well reflected in the finds of the cave, the pottery that was brought from Ugarit in the north, from Cyprus and the nearby coastal cities - primarily Jaffa, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza and Tel Aj

 

In the short period of time before the opening was sealed, and despite security measures, one or more people entered the cave and probed at several points.

The vast majority of the tools remained in place, but a number of items appeared to have been stolen.

The circumstances of the case are being investigated.

Eli Escozido, director of the Antiquities Authority, and Raya Shurki, director of the Nature and Parks Authority, stated: "The discovery in the Palmahim National Park is unique and particularly exciting.

The rumors about the discovery of the cave spread like wildfire in the scientific world, and we receive many inquiries from researchers asking to join the expected archaeological dig.

Unfortunately, in the short period of time before the cave was sealed, and despite guarding it, a number of archaeological items were stolen from the cave, and the issue is under investigation.

In the coming days, we will formulate together the method of carrying out the required research and conservation at the unique site, which is a celebration of the archaeological world and the ancient history of the Land of Israel."

Here: https://newsrnd.com/news/2022-09-18-from-the-time-of-ramses-ii--a-rare-and-historic-burial-cave-was-discovered-in-palmahim-israel-today.H1lGR44-s.html