by testy
This set of references deals with the dangers of ultrasound imaging when performed outside of the medical field and explains why it should be stopped. The Tanne article states that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that because ultrasound is a form of energy and cannot be considered harmless, non-medical ultrasound videos such as “keepsake videos” may affect the fetus. The Van Bergen text states that although there is no evidence that low-intensity ultrasound is completely safe; a risk-to-benefit ratio is utilized to justify ultrasound as a diagnostic and medical tool. Ultrasound imaging is a common diagnostic medical procedure that uses high-frequency sound waves to produce dynamic images of organs, tissues, or blood flow inside the body. Prenatal ultrasound examinations are performed by trained and certified professionals. The procedure involves using a transducer, which sends a stream of high-frequency sound waves into the body and detects their echoes as they bounce off internal structures. The sound waves are then converted to electric impulses and displayed on a computer. “Keepsake videos” are obtained the same way, except the performers are not certified and the recordings are made strictly for financial gain. The videos serve no medical or diagnostic purpose whatsoever and as the article points out ultrasound is a form of energy which cannot be considered harmless. Using the principles advocated by the Van Bergen text, it makes sense to avoid unnecessary risk to the fetus by using ultrasound only when it is needed. The authors advocate using ultrasound only when the benefit outweighs the risk, thus abolishing the practice of commercial ultrasound.
I found that this set of articles does a good job of explaining why we should eliminate commercial ultrasound. I agree with the authors in that because of the possible risks which come with ultrasound it should only be utilized when deemed necessary, such as for medical purposes. I think one of the more chilling points that led me to feel this way was when Tanne brought up the fact that most commercial sonographers are un-trained and lack the skills needed to recognize birth defects and complications. The mother sees pictures of her healthy prenatal baby, and doesn’t think she needs to take the baby into the hospital for an ultrasound examination and so there are complications at birth or during postnatal development. I believe the best way to prevent this from happening is to inform expectant mothers of the possible consequences of such videos. If the parents know there is a good chance commercial ultrasound will affect their baby then they would be more likely to not want to make keepsake videos, thus keeping their infant out of jeopardy. I recommend an informational campaign be put forth on the topic of commercialized ultrasound to expose this issue to the greater public. I feel that spreading the information about the harm of such practices would be very effective in stopping the production of keepsake images in the short-term while legislation gets passed to make such recordings illegal for the long-term.
Although ultrasound is not proven to be one hundred percent safe, diagnostic ultrasound outweighs the risk because it helps to find problems with the pregnancy and deals with them whereas commercial ultrasound provides no medical benefit for putting the fetus at risk whatsoever and is why it must be stopped.
Tanne, J. (2004). FDA warns against commercial prenatal ultrasound videos. [Electronic version]. British Medical Journal, 328(7444), 853.
Van Bergen, W. (Ed.). (1980). Obstetric ultrasound: Applications and principles. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
by admin
by admin
The economy looks bleak. More and more banks are failing, one right after the other with no end in sight. The International Forecaster says that if you have any money over $100,000 right now in the bank that you’re simply “stupid”. He recommends storing your emergency cash at home, if not in a vault then under your mattress or in a fridge Depression-era style.
Lucky for me I just got out of school, and have very few American dollars and a couple thousand in debt that can be paid off in a month or so. I’m going to Korea to teach English pronunciation. Now I know what you’re thinking, when the US economy crumbles and China rises then everyone will want to learn Chinese instead of English and that will leave me out of a job. True. But as competitive as English schools are in Korea, I’m hoping that there will be plenty of transition time before that happens. I’ll be making Korean won, which will actually still be worth something if the United States dollar becomes a worthless piece of paper.
I’m not saying that just by moving to another country everything will be peachy-keen if the United States collapses, the world is so closely tied together economically that it would be a global depression. But maybe it will be less severe in other countries. Who knows, I just hope for the best.
by testy
Earning gold in Burning Crusade is simple if you have the right techniques. The better the strategy, the more gold you will make. I have put six tips together in this article that can form a simple but effective strategy for earning a substantial amount of gold in the Burning Crusade.
Quick Tip 1: Disenchant. You can get a hold of inexpensive green items either by grinding or through crafting (or you can buy crafted items very cheaply on the AH if they are sold by players leveling up their crafting profession). Many times, disenchanting these items and selling the mats on the Auction House is profitable.
Quick Tip 2: Take up Jewelcrafting. You can by a stack of adamantite ore, prospect it, and then cut the blue gems. Sell the ore and gems for a large profit.
Quick Tip 3: Do daily quests. These quests can make a lot of gold.
Quick Tip 4: Stock up on items off the Auction House for cheap on the weekends. There are more players listing items so prices tend to be lower. Resell what you bought during the week at a higher price for a good amount of profit.
Quick Tip 5: Auction off schematics and recipes that drop in the wild. Some of these are quite valuable. Also, don’t forget the neutral auction houses for recipes that your faction can get easily that the other faction cannot.
Quick Tip 6: Keep all of the green and blue items that drop while you are out grinding or questing. If your character is not using an item, sell it at the Auction House.
by testy
It seems like fashion is everything these days. One of the more current trends gaining popularity is Japanese clothes, and in particular, Japanese jeans. One of the most important things to keep in mind is to ensure that you buy the proper size of jeans.
The right size of jeans might be difficult to find for those who are big and tall, but with patience and proper searching the right pair will have a greater chance of being found. You must also keep in mind the price. I’ve seen jeans that can range from $25 to all the way up to $300!
It is true that probably the only place you can get Japanese jeans is online. There are many places to buy them, but you must make sure that you find the ones you want.
The best site I have found to buy them is Japanese Jeans. Take a look around the site and see what you like, they offer just about everything.
by testy
Howl’s Moving Castle, originally a novel by the author Diana Jones (which may I add is an amazing read in itself) was interpreted by the great mastermind Hayao Miyuzaki, and made into a movie unique even to the original novel. I would like to think of it as a type of movie that manages to amaze any age or sex, and is the type of movie that is a good-feeling pick-me-up with a touch of comedy, romance, a twisted storyline that sweeps up your interest not at first but in about ten minutes after first starting the movie.
Sophie is one of the few handful amount of heroines/female leads that can be appreciated for her personality and decision making though her boring life in her hometown forces her to be dull while she takes care of her father’s hat shop while her mother and sister are away elsewhere. When Sophie decides to leave on a rare trip outside of the shop to visit her sister, she is swept up instantly in an interaction with Howl the rumored wizard who “eats beautiful girl’s hearts”. With the interaction however, Howl has tied Sophie’s fate with his own as he was being searched by the notorious Witch of the Waste who wishes to keep Howl’s heart as her own.
Without giving away any more precious details, this movie is a definite must see. The detailed artwork and scenery alone is enough to make it mentionable let alone adding the characters and the storyline.