Chatbug Karen

An update on my earlier post about Ricin. Police have said that a previous guest of a Las Vegas hotel room where ricin has been found is in critical condition at a hospital, where he has been since February 14. Authorities were called to a Vegas hotel around 3 p.m. PT Thursday after a man brought a bag with a small container to the manager’s office. The man said he found it while retrieving items from a hotel room. Police do not suspect foul play. I wonder if the man had it for a medical reason and wound up in the hospital. A relative probably had to go to the motel room after they discovered their family member in the hospital.

Now, this is interesting and actually is a nice story. A woman who is short in stature is capable of giving birth to children. That in itself is not unusual but the reality of her children is that they will always be bigger than she is. I hope she rules with an iron fist. Wait til your daddy comes home will have new meaning for this family.

Stacey Herald believes she is the smallest woman who ever gave birth to such a large baby. Stacey is only 28 1/2 inches tall herself. Stacey was born with osteogenesis imperfecta.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI and sometimes known as Brittle Bone Disease) is a genetic bone disorder. People with OI are born without the proper protein (collagen), or the ability to make it, usually because of a deficiency of Type-I collagen.[1] People with OI either have less collagen than normal or the quality is poorer than normal. As collagen is an important protein in bone structure, this impairment causes those with the condition to have weak or fragile bones.[2]

As a genetic disorder, OI is an autosomal dominant defect. Most people with OI receive it from a parent but it can also be an individual (de novo or “sporadic”) mutation.

Stacey’s 16-month-old daughter, Katira, also suffers from the genetic disorder that causes bones to break easily, but her youngest daughter, Makaia, is expected to grow to average height.

It sounds like someone was up to something terrible in a Las Vegas. Police found ricin in a hotel room. They haven’t said if they know who the poison belongs to but they are checking it out. Can you imagine?

What ricin is…

* Ricin is a poison that can be made from the waste left over from processing castor beans.
* It can be in the form of a powder, a mist, or a pellet, or it can be dissolved in water or weak acid.
* It is a stable substance. For example, it is not affected much by extreme conditions such as very hot or very cold temperatures.

How you could be exposed to ricin

* It would take a deliberate act to make ricin and use it to poison people. Accidental exposure to ricin is highly unlikely.
* People can breathe in ricin mist or powder and be poisoned.
* Ricin can also get into water or food and then be swallowed.
* Pellets of ricin, or ricin dissolved in a liquid, can be injected into people’s bodies.
* Depending on the route of exposure (such as injection or inhalation), as little as 500 micrograms of ricin could be enough to kill an adult. A 500-microgram dose of ricin would be about the size of the head of a pin. A greater amount would likely be needed to kill people if the ricin were swallowed.
* In 1978, Georgi Markov, a Bulgarian writer and journalist who was living in London, died after he was attacked by a man with an umbrella. The umbrella had been rigged to inject a poison ricin pellet under Markov’s skin.
* Some reports have indicated that ricin may have been used in the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s and that quantities of ricin were found in Al Qaeda caves in Afghanistan.
* Ricin poisoning is not contagious. It cannot be spread from person to person through casual contact.

I don’t think I like ricin.

I am going to have to work with my little Shi Tzu, Brody. He thinks it is ok to poop in the house. He only does it in the morning but still, I cannot have him thinking it is ok. I found a wonderful website that has articles with advice for things like I am dealing with. Bark411.com Sit, Stay, Search is a perfect place for pet owners. You are free to list your pet business and they offer classified ads. They have a section where they list events geared towards pets. It is a great resource for finding information and all things related to pets. I’ll bet they are even pet crazy just like me.

Do you like to cook with garlic? I love the way it makes the house smell cozy and warm. We have agreed that as long as all of us eat garlic it is ok. If only one person has stinky breath it is not a good thing. Did you know that eating asparagus makes your pee stink? Oh, that is for another post.

Garlic spices up a meal without having to add a lot of other ingredients. Ancient Egyptians used garlic for dental care by pressing softened garlic into teeth that needed repair. They also used it to season their food. Nothing like a good slab of goat slathered with garlic to make your toes curl.

If you are afraid to pick out garlic here are a few tips. Choose heads that are firm. Avoid those with soft cloves, cuts or dark blemishes beneath the skin.

If garlic breath bothers you, try chewing on a piece of parsley.

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I am very shocked at the choices made on who had to go on tonights show. I do not know how the ones who are told they got the ax get up there and sing their hearts out. It does show what professionals they can be. I hope a talent scout has noticed them and they get a deal that sends their career to the top. These people have so much talent. It makes me ill to see Lindsay Lohan making the news when there are great people who are so much better and are making something of their lives.

It sounds like next week will be a great one for American Idol. I cannot remember all of the names of the stars who will be on next week but there are many. I couldn’t hear anything after Brad Pitt’s name was mentioned.

Ha! I took this quiz to find out what type of sports car is reflected in answers to a few questions and I like the results. I cannot wait for hubby to come home and see this. He loves Dodge Vipers. When we were in Orlando a few weekends ago, we tested out a few Mini Coopers but I’ll bet he will like this even better.

I’m a Dodge Viper!

You’re all about raw power. You’re tough, you’re loud, and you don’t take crap from anyone. Leave finesse to the other cars, the ones eating your dust.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

With the upcoming Irish holiday, my mind has been on Ireland and the UK. I have been checking out how their UK / Ireland credit industry differs from ours and have found some interesting features that their credit cards offer. When credit card applications for Irish customers are utilized, those customers have the ability to check their balances and make payments online. They are also offered excellent fraud protection and security features to keep their banking safe. The card is accepted at ATM machines. They offer reward cards similar to those available here in the states. Cards may be used to gain points for travel or other luxury items as well as adding up points that can be used as a way to donate to a well known charity. Interest rates are very much the same and their interest rates have been holding steady at some very good percentages. It sounds like an excellent, service oriented way have a credit card that offers service as well as safety.

Hubby made wonderful pulled pork sandwiches last night. He baked a pork tenderloin all morning and made me and everyone who came into our store very hungry.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches
After baking pork tenderloin or a pork roast, shred the meat as fine as you like it.
add a bit of water and 1 can of chicken broth
the following ingredients may be added but hubby used barbecue sauce with spices already in it so it wasn’t necessary to add them. You gotta love Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce.

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a medium saucepan combine pork, chicken broth, vinegar, sugar, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Set pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
Cook 15 minutes, until liquid reduces and sauce thickens. Serve pork on halved kaiser rolls or like we did on large hamburger buns. We added a little bit of barbecue sauce and a few pickles.