Friday, June 12, 2009

Super Sensitive

The beaming smile on Molly Harrad's face marks her out as a happy and fun-loving 10-year-old.
That she is able to keep smiling quite so readily is testament to the schoolgirl's determination.
For Molly is allergic to modern life.
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She is not just allergic to an alarming array of food products, but to a host of man-made materials - meaning that something as simple as walking across carpet can trigger painful blistering.
While what she eats can trigger an agonizing reaction internally, what she touches can trigger a similar response on the outside.
Even picking up a telephone, handling coins or holding a pen can make her skin flare up.
So severe are her allergies that Molly has to wear cotton gloves all the time, even in bed, to minimize the rick of coming into contact with any potentially harmful surfaces.
She has given up wearing shoes, because the rubber in the soles of ordinary shoes - even through leather insoles - makes her feet blister.
Her catalogue of allergies has bewildered doctors, who believe that had she been born a century ago she would not have the same array of problems.
It was just days after Molly's birth that parents Louise Robson and Derek Harrad realized their little girl was unwell.
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Job-seekers try new tactics to get employers' eye

Job-seekers are using unusual gimmicks to grab the attention of potential employers, such as in one case sending a shoe along with a resume to get a "foot in the door," said a survey released on Wednesday.
Almost a fifth of hiring managers report seeing more unconventional tactics this year, compared with 12 percent who said so last year.
Faced with the highest unemployment in 25 years, candidates are trying a variety of tricks, including:
* handing out resumes at stop lights
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* washing cars in a company parking lot
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* staging a sit-in in a company lobby to demand a meeting with a director
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* sending a cake designed as a business card with the candidate's picture
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* handing out personalized coffee cups
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* going to the same barber as the company chairman to have the barber speak on his behalf.
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End of an Era as Analog TV Broadcasts Sign Off

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Starting this morning and going into the night, TV stations across the U.S. planned to cut their analog signals Friday, ending a six-decade era for the technology and likely stranding more than 1 million unprepared homes without TV service.
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Riding cross country for MS

A friend told Eric McDermott of Salem, Ore., that Iowa would be flat and straight across.
McDermott, a 22-year-old college graduate, also figured the state would be mostly brown farmland this time of year, and was pleasantly surprised when he rode his bike through this week.
"It’s actually kind of nice and green, kind of rolling hills," he said.
Iowa is the fifth state McDermott is riding his racing roadbike through on a cross-country tour of the northern United States. It’s a way for him to celebrate receiving his bachelor’s degree from Humboldt State University and to take one last adventure before his job begins in July.
But more importantly, McDermott hopes it’s a good way to raise $50,000 for multiple sclerosis research. He is riding in honor of two of his aunts who contracted the disease.
"He’s just really enjoyed meeting people along the way," said McDermott’s mother, Debra McDermott. "Most of his route takes him through small towns, and the number of people who have MS or know someone with MS is unbelievable."
Riding solo, with his parents driving the sag wagon, McDermott rode into the Comfort Inn in Cedar Falls Thursday and planned to leave early this afternoon without much fanfare. He’ll continue on through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire before ending at the northern tip of Maine.
McDermott hopes his ride attracts attention to the cause, and people are encouraged to go on his Web site to view pictures, read his travel blog and donate.
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The Authentic 6 Foot Remote Controlled RMS Titanic.

This is the 6' long, remote controlled reproduction of the RMS Titanic that includes authentic period details for the most discriminating nautical enthusiast. Painstakingly reproduced at 1:150 scale and involving over 400 man-hours in its assembly, the model is constructed from over 300 individually handcrafted pieces, including sculpted cedar strips that overlay the molded fiberglass hull, white maple planks (stained to replicate the color of the originals) for the decking, and mahogany for various superstructures. Injection molded plastic is used for the railings, windows, doors, and funnels, laser-cut for precise replication. The boat deck includes lifeboats flanked by davits that were used to lower the lifeboats overboard. Other details include the yellow funnel water pipes, cowl ventilators, cranes, docking deck (the rear raised deck with wheel), winches, bollards, and anchor crane. A foremast and mainmast are rigged with shrouds, ratlines, stays, and the Marconi aerial that spans the ship from mast to mast. Two rechargeable batteries provide up to three hours of cruising power for three 550-watt electric motors that drive each of the three propellers, producing a gentle cruising speed of 5 mph on calm water. Minor assembly required. Requires a three-hour recharge. The remote controls the ship from up to 75'--requires eight AA batteries (not included). 72" L x 8" W x 20" H. (25 lbs.)
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Top 30 Failed Technology Predictions

This is a very interesting list showing how vision-less people deemed some of the world's top inventions would never be, that have come to be!
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"The horse is here to stay but the automobile is only a novelty – a fad." — The president of the Michigan Savings Bank advising Henry Ford’s lawyer, Horace Rackham, not to invest in the Ford Motor Co., 1903"
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This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." — A memo at Western Union, 1878 (or 1876)
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"[Television] won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." — Darryl Zanuck, movie producer, 20th Century Fox, 1946."
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Rail travel at high speed is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia." — Dr Dionysys Larder (1793-1859), professor of Natural Philosophy and Astronomy, University College London.
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"Practice Makes Purr-fect"

'She's With Me': Obama Writes Girl Absence Note

Ten-year-old Kennedy Corpus has a rock-solid excuse for missing the last day of school: a personal note to her teacher from President Barack Obama.
Her father, John Corpus of Green Bay, stood to ask Obama about health care during the president's town hall-style meeting at Southwest High School on Thursday. He told Obama that his daughter was missing school to attend the event and that he hoped she didn't get in trouble.
"Do you need me to write a note?" Obama asked. The crowd laughed, but the president was serious.
On a piece of paper, he wrote: "To Kennedy's teacher: Please excuse Kennedy's absence. She's with me. Barack Obama." He stepped off the stage to hand-deliver the note -- to Kennedy's surprise.
"I thought he was joking until he started walking down," Kennedy said after the event, showing off the note in front of a bank of television cameras. "It was like the best thing ever."
The fourth-grader at Aldo Leopold elementary in Green Bay already knew what she was going to do with the note: frame it along with her ticket to the event. She said she'd make a copy for her teacher.
Kennedy said she had never seen Obama before. "He's really nice," she said.
As part of his latest effort to push for aggressive action on health care this year, Obama said at the town hall that Americans who can't afford health insurance need to be provided with more affordable options -- provided by the government if not private insurers.
The president said a public health insurance option, which Republicans strongly oppose, should be included in any plan to keep the insurance companies honest and prices down.

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4th grader playing hooky gets an excuse note from President Obama
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Aw, so adorable!!!!

3-week-old Beagle Puppy

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Kitten Has a Strange Meow
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