The biggest change Luis made was creating the first majority female cabinet in Spain. Luis also hired the youngest minister in the history of Spain (a 31-year-old) as well as a Minister of Defense who is seven months pregnant (Carme Chacon). Luis opened Spain’s ministry for gender equality and as made great strides towards a more progressive government. So now, on Mother’s day, let’s celebrate a feminist male Prime Minister! Maybe the world can change…

The Bad: On a different note, Greece is facing some tough times in the world of cultural preservation. Greece, home to some of the world’s most ancient relics is taking steps to preserving them. The Acropolis Museum, situated just across from the Parthenon temple, will be opening in the early fall and will showcase the beauty of the Greek constructions from yesteryear.

The museum hopes to showcase Greek culture and show pieces that would have been destroyed by environmental toxins if left in the open. The focal point of the museum will be the frieze, or the stone carvings that ran around the inner core of the Parthenon. What was originally high above onlookers will now be placed at eye level for all to see. The only problem is the Greece does not possess the entire frieze. 46% of the original frieze is in the British Museum, where it has been for the past century. Negotiations between the Acropolis Museum and the British Museum have stalled, as neither wants to give up their portions of the frieze. Until the frieze is reunited in Greece, plaster molds will fill in the missing sections of the frieze. Let’s all hope that this wonderful carving will one day be reunited.

Readers, do you think that the frieze should be reunited? The British Museum believes it is their property, while the Acropolis Museum thinks it belongs in its home country, what do you think?

Currently the process is mainly used on animal carcasses and medical cadavers, but could be used by funeral homes if they were to invest in the equipment and permits. The main argument against alkaline hydrolysis is that it is a process unbefitting of a human being. My opinion? This is one a great process that I think should be implemented by funeral homes nationwide. The process of normal embalmment and internment creates remains that will stay in the ground for much longer periods of time. Why litter the ground with elaborate caskets or litter the air with the fumes of cremation? My method of burial? Well I’m going to go back to basics, give me a wood and canvas stretcher, a white sheet and a quick burial. No embalming, no unnecessary pollutants for me.

The Bad: Speaking of burials, three teenagers confessed to giving a body a very odd resting place. One of the three teens was being questioned about an unrelated crime when he admitted to some disturbing activities in a local grave yard. Officials soon called in the two other teens he named as his accomplices to get the full story. Their story goes that the three entered a grave yard and dug up the corpse of an 11-year-old boy who died in 1921. The boys then decapitated the corpse and used the skill as a bong. Police went to the grave yard to check the condition of the corpse, but found the grave to be filled with water from recent rains. The three teens are being held on charges of abuse of a corpse.

So dear readers, what do you think? How do you want your body to be treated after you die? Is it a cardboard coffin for you, a rocket into the sky, or what?

 

Alkaline hydrolysis stainless-steel cylinder

The death penalty is something that has been highly contested in the last few months, with claims of inhumane execution policies. Whether you agree or not (feel free to tell me your position below) one thing is for sure, those on death row are certainly there for a long time. Let’s look at Kentucky, there are currently 37 inmates waiting on death row, and thanks to the power of modern technology you can view them here. The years of their sentencing go as far back as 1982, for crimes as heinous as you can believe.

If these sentencing dates were so long ago, why are they still walking this Earth? Well the answer, my friends, is appeals and interest groups. There are many groups out there than oppose of the death penalty and defend those convicted. These groups, coupled with the appeals that many of them fund, can postpone death for years. Look at Chapman, he wanted the death penalty and yet three years later he is still in court. I think it is ridiculous that so many appeals are allowed for these criminals.

I believe in the rehabilitation power of our justice system (and how much work it does need), but I think that a criminal given the ability to postpone the death penalty for so many years is just postponing justice. While there may be some out there who are innocent, I think that too many people take advantage of the system. If we were to implement stricter precautions (like a speedy appeals process) or limit appeals attempts, we could expedite the process and put these criminals away. That’s what I think. What about you?

That being said, it makes me happy to say that something is working. A new study shows that teens who live in towns with smoking bans in bars, restaurants, or workplaces are less likely to smoke. The study was conducted over the course of four years in Massachusetts, a state that had only city-based smoking laws at the time. The study regularly contacted almost 3,000 teens aged 12 to 17 over the four years to see who became a smoker, characterized as smoking 100 or more cigarettes. The study showed that when teens were less exposed to cigarettes and saw community disapproval for cigarettes (via the ban) they were less likely to smoke. This just goes to show that it does take a village to raise a child.

The Bad: Postpartum depression is depression with feelings of emptiness after the birth of a baby. Postpartum depression is typically attributed to women, but a study has now shown that men do experience postpartum depression. It seems that 10% of new fathers have some sort of depression following the birth of their child. Many fathers try to hide their depression, in order to put the mother and baby first, but experts say this is a major problem. Fathers who have this depression are less likely to interact and read with their children, and this can negatively impact the child’s vocabulary and language skills. Signs to look for? Any changes beyond normal fatigue after the child’s birth could be possible warning signs. Do not be afraid to ask for help if you feel increased sadness, aggression, or have suicidal thoughts.

The Bad: The worries of a food shortage in the world have be circling as of late. To combat this, scientists have designed better seeds that can produce more in less than ideal environments. While this will help to feed the world, the planting of these super seeds are destroying soil exponentially quicker than before. Scientists are now able to grow up to 9,000 pounds of corn in an acre, but because of declining soil conditions the world over, only about 1/18 of this amount can be produced. So dear people, seeds are not the answer, fertilizer is. If we can enhance the soil worldwide, our food production will in turn enhance.

The photos of Corliss’ face were posted on the site on Monday, and since then, tips have been pouring in from concerned citizens. The tips led to INTERPOL authorities finding Corliss in his home in New Jersey this Wednesday. I for one am glad to see this man arrested. If you are going to abuse children, and especially if you are unintelligent enough to take photos of it, you deserve to be caught and punished to the highest extent of the law.

The Bad: For every child abuser we put away it seems like another one comes to our attention. In Idaho, a ten year old girl has given birth to a baby girl. The girl was brought into the hospital by 37-year-old Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez. When he and the girl came in the police were called and Gutierrez-Juarez was arrested. It is believed that the young girl was raped by Gutierrez-Juarez, hence the resulting pregnancy.

There is no word yet what will happen to the girl or her daughter. Living in an urban area, it doesn’t surprise me to see young teens with babies, but this story is heartbreaking. To know that this child was not given the option of not having this child is horrible. Having a child drastically changes your life and your body, it is not fair that this has happened to her.

 

INTERPOL Image of Corliss

The Scary: How worried would you be if your 22 year old son was in Afghanistan fighting for his life? Now how about hearing him in a firefight on your voicemail? That is exactly what happened to Sandie and Jeff Petee when they came home one day from the flower shop. They played their messages to find a three minute recording of their son and his comrades fighting against insurgents. The call was made by accident, when Stephen Phillips’ phone was accidentally redialed by the side of his Humvee. The Petees were understandably shocked, but were relieved to find that the call was made by accident, and that their son had survived that battle.

If you are like many Americans, you probably visit more than one doctor. Maybe you have one general doctor but you go to a clinic or something similar for the smaller things (like I do). If this is you, it can be tough to get all of your information in one place. You can request all your records be forwarded to your general doctor, or you can request a copy for yourself. Then you should meet with your doctor and ask for their advice as to which vaccines you should take. The ones CNN recommends you have?

• Tdap:the tetanus-diptheria booster that also protects against whopping cough
• Varivax: the chicken pox vaccine (if you haven’t had chicken pox)
• MMR booster: the measles-mumps-rubella booster shot that is essential especially for adults born between 1957 and 1967 (when the vaccine wasn’t as strong)
• Hepatitis B Vaccine: especially with the needle reusing that some clinics covertly use
• Zostavax: the shingles vaccine. While new, it is highly recommended for older Americans.

For the full article visit CNN.

The Bad: Children who are adopted are more likely to develop behavioral or emotional problems, a study by the University of Minnesota says. Researchers talked to adopted children, their adopted parents, and their adopted siblings, to see if the cause of the increase is due to genetic predisposition or are learned behaviors. The researchers found that many times the cause of the behavioral and emotional disorders is the genetics or prenatal care of the birth parents, showing that adopted parents aren’t at fault.

Another interesting thing the study found? American and overseas adoptees behave differently. Researchers found that American adoptees tended to act out, resulting in behavioral issues. Children adopted from overseas seem to be more likely to hold in their fears and troubles, leading to more emotional and depressive disorders in these children. Are there any adoptees out there who would like to comment on this research?

The Person of the Year award, along with the other categories in the Webby Awards, are sponsored by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Some other Webby winners are the Huffington Post, will.i.am, PostSecret, and NYTimes.com. The award recipients are chosen by internet poll and a separate group of judges.

The Shocking: We all know crime is a scary thing, but we trust the court system to keep these criminals in line. That made it all the more shocking when Victor Wright, a man on trial for a drug charge, attacked a lawyer with a razor blade. Wright, described as a “career criminal” attached the prosecutor as he was walking by. U.S. Marshals jumped on the man, along with the Vietnam vet stenographer, and saved the attorney.

Security in the court is now increased, with extra deputies for prisoners with long jail sentences or violent crimes. Wright, now back behind bars, will have to hear the verdict on his case from a closed circuit television at the prison. The incident happened in Brooklyn.

While seeing troops come home is wonderful, there are still some 127 thousand troops in Iraq. Regardless of your feeling for or against the war, if we want to bring these hardworking men and women home, we need to start doing it in larger numbers. Maybe next year we will see an increase in troops coming home.

The Bad: A massive cyclone hit the small country of Myanmar Friday and Saturday, battering the country. Myanmar, sometimes referred to as Burma, faced a 12-foot tidal wave, pounding wind and rain, and more destruction than what has been seen in the country in many years. Myanmar’s government, a military junta, opened its doors to ask for help from other countries for the first time in years.

The current source of aide for the country is from the Red Cross, other aid agencies, including the UN, are still working for visas into the country. The death toll has now been confirmed as 22,464 with 41,000 people still missing. Houses are wiped out, people are living under small pieces of tarp, and food is stretched thin. If you would like to help, please donate to the Red Cross to help their efforts.