It's Friday the 13th...spooky
May. 13th, 2005 07:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ghostdriveYay! Advent Children finally has a release date. It'll be released in Japan on September 14th (no idea when it will be released here though). And yes, one reason I'm excited for AC is just so I can see Vincent Valentine in all his CG-animated glory. I ♥ Vincent Valentine (I swooned over screenshots of him). And I love Final Fantasy 7 plot holes and all.
If anyone out there likes to read National Geographic, you should really check out the May 2005 issue. There are quite a few interesting articles included in this issue, my favorite being the feature article Poison: 12 Toxic Tales. Included with the main article are 12 separate ones, which were also intriguing so I guess I'll talk about them a bit. Feel free to skip this part since its quite LONG and if you have no interest in my ramblings about poison and this certain article.
The main article "The Poison Paradox" was mainly about how too much of a poison can kill, but a little can cure (of certain ones that is). In one case a toxicologist was slowly died (over a 5 month period) when she spilled a minute amount of dimethlmercury on her left hand (she was wearing latex gloves, but this poison was able to penetrate through them). I was morbidly amused when the article asked how such a meticulous toxicologist could come to such an end, and a colleague answered, " Only lion tamers are killed by lions." And in a different case, another toxicologist, as per his chemotherapy, would down a cocktail of toxins in order to save his life (he had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). Toxicology is a very interesting field to me, but my hands shake slightly, so I don't think I would do well in that sort of thing. The following are things worth noting (I'm trying not to make this too long) of the 12 smaller articles.
{1} the curious case of napolean b.: Discusses the theories over the death of Napolean Bonaparte. Some say it was a political murder and he was murdered by arsenic poisoning. Others say that he was poisoned by his wallpaper. Which sounds kind of ridiculous, but the wallpaper's paint contained an arsenic compound. The damp environment he was exiled in could of released the arsenic into the air. 3 other theories include him being killed by his doctors, that he died by disease (it was reported in his autopsy that he had a possible cancerous ulcer), or someone who wanted revenge against him killed him (he had an affair with the count's wife). There is no real way to know which is the truth.
{2} one bad move and you're snakebit!: This one was done in a sort of comic book style way (looks like watercolors). A man is bit by a Easter Diamondback Rattlesnack and whether or not he will survive. I was not aware that the time of day the bite occured could affect the venom strength. This article reminded me of Venom ER, a show on Animal Planet.
{3} concerto in b for botox & piano: A premier concert pianist's career ends unexpectedly after he develops focal dystonia in his right hand (which causes muscles to contract into abnormal and occasionally painful positions). Small amounts of botulium toxin (a gram of this could kill 20 million people if distributed correctly...wow) given to him every 6 months in injection form relieved his symptoms so that he could once again go back to touring.
{4} name your poison: This one was bits and pieces of everything. My favorite was about a popcorn cat that poisoned children in New England because the orange food coloring used reached toxic levels. Another was of spies keeping lethal pills hidden in eyeglasses (and the KGB would grab throats of spies so they couldn't swallow).
{5} a delicacy to die for: About fugu, a potentially poisonous fish thats a delicacy in Japan. There's a debate over the source of its poison; some say its due to its diet (and if raised in diet-controlled cages they can be produced poison-free), while others say that some are poisonous and some aren't (though even experts can't tell which is which). Haha, this automatically had me thinking of the Simpsons episode where Homer eats fugu and thinks he's going to die. I still laugh at the apathetically titled "So You're Going to Die" pamphlet Homer kept on reading.
{6} in the morgue with al and marcella: An interview with Marcella Fierro, chief medical examiner of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Alphonse Poklis, a director of toxicology. They talked about the what sort of things made them think poisoning was involved, how they proceeded in their cases, what they thought the personality profiles of poisoners was (each had different opinions), notable cases, etc.
{7} death in venice: An Italian Renaissance family, the Borgias, used arsenic as their choice poison for murders. Its said they would dispatch their victims with arsenic-laced wine when they invited them to dinner. Also mentioned was the more recent poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko (the Ukranian President who was poisoned by dioxin) and also attempts to poison Fidel Castro.
{8} zyklon b and the camp of death: Zyklon B is a crystallized form of hydrogen cyanide used by the Nazis in their concentration camps. This article included accounts by Stefan Polchlopek, a political dissident, who was arrested by the Gestapo and forced to do slave labor in Auschwitz.
{9} stings & arrows: Biological weapons used in history including scorpion-filed clay pots thrown at Romans attacking Hatra, Hannibal would catapult venomous snake-filled pots at enemy ships, smallpox-infected blankets given to American indians during the French and Indian wars, a cult who released sarin gas in a Tokyo subway, and others.
{10} the monk who embalmed himself: A monk who knew he was going to die decided to eat nothing and instead sipped tea made from the sap of the urushi tree (the sap was toxic). As he came closer to death he would only drink from a certain hot springs which had high levels of arsenic. The arsenic acted as a preservative and the urushi sap dried out his body (by inducing vomiting and urination). When he was exhumed his skin looked like it was lacquered into a skeleton. They said he became an instant Buddha, sokushinbutsu.
{11} along came a spider...: About Chuck Kristensen who runs the SpiderPharm, which raises spiders for their venom. Favorite quote: "Who controls potassium channels controls the world" (potassium ion channels in cells are affected by venom and can cause paralysis, muscle contractions, convulsions, cardiac arrhythmia, epilepsy, among other conditions).
{12} when your first bite might be your last: About food tasters and their history. The procedures used at Castle Mandawa in India was fascinating. The Roman Emperor Nero used food tasters, as did Mithridates (King of Pontus), Louis XIV, and Columbus (his were dogs). The occupation of food taster is in decline today, but in the state kitchen of Thailand, white mice are used instead of humans.
Wow, that was a lot to type out (I'm a bit tired out, haha). And yes, I automatically thought of Count Cain when I read this article 'cause I'm oh so dorky (for those not famaliar with Count Cain, the main character Cain is called The Earl of Poison).
And two days ago I put together a mini-cart/tv stand (it was one of those do-it-yourself-from-a-box-of-wood-parts sort of thing) for my mom (since I am the only member of my family that has the patience for these sort of projects). We had a drill, but being the masochist that I am, I used a lone screwdriver. And then I realized screwdrivers don't function well as hammers and decided that maybe it would be wise to go find one. It took me 2 hours (including a 15 minute break for lunch) to finish it, but I am quite satisfied.
Oh yeah! I went to Waldenbooks and saw this there and had to buy it:
It's a Momiji plushie! Yes! Now I have three Fruits Basket plushies. The other are Kyo (the cat), and Yuki (the rat). And just because, I'm including a pic of all three:
Those are my dvds of Rurouni Kenshin and Witch Hunter Robin behind them.
If anyone out there likes to read National Geographic, you should really check out the May 2005 issue. There are quite a few interesting articles included in this issue, my favorite being the feature article Poison: 12 Toxic Tales. Included with the main article are 12 separate ones, which were also intriguing so I guess I'll talk about them a bit. Feel free to skip this part since its quite LONG and if you have no interest in my ramblings about poison and this certain article.
The main article "The Poison Paradox" was mainly about how too much of a poison can kill, but a little can cure (of certain ones that is). In one case a toxicologist was slowly died (over a 5 month period) when she spilled a minute amount of dimethlmercury on her left hand (she was wearing latex gloves, but this poison was able to penetrate through them). I was morbidly amused when the article asked how such a meticulous toxicologist could come to such an end, and a colleague answered, " Only lion tamers are killed by lions." And in a different case, another toxicologist, as per his chemotherapy, would down a cocktail of toxins in order to save his life (he had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). Toxicology is a very interesting field to me, but my hands shake slightly, so I don't think I would do well in that sort of thing. The following are things worth noting (I'm trying not to make this too long) of the 12 smaller articles.
{1} the curious case of napolean b.: Discusses the theories over the death of Napolean Bonaparte. Some say it was a political murder and he was murdered by arsenic poisoning. Others say that he was poisoned by his wallpaper. Which sounds kind of ridiculous, but the wallpaper's paint contained an arsenic compound. The damp environment he was exiled in could of released the arsenic into the air. 3 other theories include him being killed by his doctors, that he died by disease (it was reported in his autopsy that he had a possible cancerous ulcer), or someone who wanted revenge against him killed him (he had an affair with the count's wife). There is no real way to know which is the truth.
{2} one bad move and you're snakebit!: This one was done in a sort of comic book style way (looks like watercolors). A man is bit by a Easter Diamondback Rattlesnack and whether or not he will survive. I was not aware that the time of day the bite occured could affect the venom strength. This article reminded me of Venom ER, a show on Animal Planet.
{3} concerto in b for botox & piano: A premier concert pianist's career ends unexpectedly after he develops focal dystonia in his right hand (which causes muscles to contract into abnormal and occasionally painful positions). Small amounts of botulium toxin (a gram of this could kill 20 million people if distributed correctly...wow) given to him every 6 months in injection form relieved his symptoms so that he could once again go back to touring.
{4} name your poison: This one was bits and pieces of everything. My favorite was about a popcorn cat that poisoned children in New England because the orange food coloring used reached toxic levels. Another was of spies keeping lethal pills hidden in eyeglasses (and the KGB would grab throats of spies so they couldn't swallow).
{5} a delicacy to die for: About fugu, a potentially poisonous fish thats a delicacy in Japan. There's a debate over the source of its poison; some say its due to its diet (and if raised in diet-controlled cages they can be produced poison-free), while others say that some are poisonous and some aren't (though even experts can't tell which is which). Haha, this automatically had me thinking of the Simpsons episode where Homer eats fugu and thinks he's going to die. I still laugh at the apathetically titled "So You're Going to Die" pamphlet Homer kept on reading.
{6} in the morgue with al and marcella: An interview with Marcella Fierro, chief medical examiner of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Alphonse Poklis, a director of toxicology. They talked about the what sort of things made them think poisoning was involved, how they proceeded in their cases, what they thought the personality profiles of poisoners was (each had different opinions), notable cases, etc.
{7} death in venice: An Italian Renaissance family, the Borgias, used arsenic as their choice poison for murders. Its said they would dispatch their victims with arsenic-laced wine when they invited them to dinner. Also mentioned was the more recent poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko (the Ukranian President who was poisoned by dioxin) and also attempts to poison Fidel Castro.
{8} zyklon b and the camp of death: Zyklon B is a crystallized form of hydrogen cyanide used by the Nazis in their concentration camps. This article included accounts by Stefan Polchlopek, a political dissident, who was arrested by the Gestapo and forced to do slave labor in Auschwitz.
{9} stings & arrows: Biological weapons used in history including scorpion-filed clay pots thrown at Romans attacking Hatra, Hannibal would catapult venomous snake-filled pots at enemy ships, smallpox-infected blankets given to American indians during the French and Indian wars, a cult who released sarin gas in a Tokyo subway, and others.
{10} the monk who embalmed himself: A monk who knew he was going to die decided to eat nothing and instead sipped tea made from the sap of the urushi tree (the sap was toxic). As he came closer to death he would only drink from a certain hot springs which had high levels of arsenic. The arsenic acted as a preservative and the urushi sap dried out his body (by inducing vomiting and urination). When he was exhumed his skin looked like it was lacquered into a skeleton. They said he became an instant Buddha, sokushinbutsu.
{11} along came a spider...: About Chuck Kristensen who runs the SpiderPharm, which raises spiders for their venom. Favorite quote: "Who controls potassium channels controls the world" (potassium ion channels in cells are affected by venom and can cause paralysis, muscle contractions, convulsions, cardiac arrhythmia, epilepsy, among other conditions).
{12} when your first bite might be your last: About food tasters and their history. The procedures used at Castle Mandawa in India was fascinating. The Roman Emperor Nero used food tasters, as did Mithridates (King of Pontus), Louis XIV, and Columbus (his were dogs). The occupation of food taster is in decline today, but in the state kitchen of Thailand, white mice are used instead of humans.
Wow, that was a lot to type out (I'm a bit tired out, haha). And yes, I automatically thought of Count Cain when I read this article 'cause I'm oh so dorky (for those not famaliar with Count Cain, the main character Cain is called The Earl of Poison).
And two days ago I put together a mini-cart/tv stand (it was one of those do-it-yourself-from-a-box-of-wood-parts sort of thing) for my mom (since I am the only member of my family that has the patience for these sort of projects). We had a drill, but being the masochist that I am, I used a lone screwdriver. And then I realized screwdrivers don't function well as hammers and decided that maybe it would be wise to go find one. It took me 2 hours (including a 15 minute break for lunch) to finish it, but I am quite satisfied.
Oh yeah! I went to Waldenbooks and saw this there and had to buy it:
It's a Momiji plushie! Yes! Now I have three Fruits Basket plushies. The other are Kyo (the cat), and Yuki (the rat). And just because, I'm including a pic of all three:
Those are my dvds of Rurouni Kenshin and Witch Hunter Robin behind them.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-14 03:29 am (UTC)If you think my anime collection is big, you should see my manga shelves. ^_^
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-14 06:48 am (UTC)