Eau! Prince to play Macy's in Minneapolis

Prince is offering 1,400 hometown fans the chance to be up close and personal enough to smell him -- literally. The singer will shill for his new perfume line, 3121, with an unusual performance on the eighth floor of Macy's in downtown Minneapolis on July 7, the same day as his previously announced Target Center concert.

Seats to the fragrance jam will be sold in a $250 Ultimate Prince Xperience package, which includes one ticket to both the 4 p.m. Macy's gig and the 7:30 p.m. Target Center show, plus two special-edition bottles of his eau de parfum. The package will be sold only at the downtown Macy's cosmetics counter starting Friday at 10 a.m.

Macy's has joined with Philadelphia-based Revelations Perfume and Cosmetics to create Prince's scent for women, which goes on sale July 7(7/7/07). Revelations has produced fragrance lines for semi-celebs Bethany Hamilton (a surfer) and "The Apprentice" star Stacie Golden.

The two companies are also the co-sponsors for that night's concert. Tickets go on sale Saturday at noon through Ticketmaster for $131.21, $97.77, $77.70 and $31.21. Prince's only other announced concerts for the summer are multi-night stands in Los Angeles and London, plus one high-dollar benefit show in East Hampton, N.Y.

See the article here at the Star Tribune.

10 Dirtiest Jobs in Science

Always exciting when your job is listed as one of the "dirtiest" around. Gives you a strange feeling of pride and justification to know that you do the job so many others wouldn't, just as you always knew to be true. See "Dysentery Stool Sample Analyzer" below (description somewhat lacking and a little inaccurate/vague, but you'll get the gist.)

(CareerBuilder.com) -- Sometimes a job calls for a little dirty work, but when your job is in science, the dirty part can become increasingly literal.

Since 2003, Popular Science magazine has released an annual report detailing the "Worst Jobs in Science." Among the psychologically demanding and dangerous elements of some of these jobs, these scientists must also be willing to get to the nitty gritty, even if it means going where no man or woman has gone before (or would want to).

Whether they are sifting through reeking mud banks to find cures for contamination, or sorting stool samples to get to the bottom of our bathroom dilemmas, these are some of the science jobs that sacrifice their time, energy and comfort for the greater global good.

If you're a science enthusiast looking for a job and not afraid to get a little dirty, or just looking for a reason to appreciate your work a little more, here are 10 of some of the dirtiest jobs in science:

Manure Inspector

What they do: Wade through farming manure, inspecting different kinds of animal waste to make sure it is free from contaminants. By checking the manure, these scientists make sure that the harmful materials do not spread to infect vegetation, animals or consumers.

Orangutan-Pee Collector

What they do: Collect and analyze ape urine to study factors that effect their reproduction. The work involves tracking down apes and laying down large plastic sheets or attaching plastic bags to poles in hopes of catching adequate samples to analyze.

Hot-zone Superintendent

What they do: Perform maintenance work for bio-safety labs that study lethal airborne pathogens, for which there is no known cure. Their work enables scientists to study the nature of disease-causing organisms, such as anthrax.

Extremophile Excavator

What they do: Sift through the smelly fumes of arsenic-saturated mud areas in blistering heat in order to gather samples containing arsenic-eating extremophiles. The purpose is to find microbes that could possibly assist in the decontamination of the nation's freshwater sources.

Dysentery Stool Sample Analyzer

What they do: Study stool samples from diseased humans who have experienced diarrhea from a disease-causing microbe. The analysis allows these scientists to develop intestinal diagnostics to ease those suffering from the disease.

Semen Washer

What they do: Take semen samples under microscopic observation to study their sperm count, then spin, separate, add preservatives and freeze the samples for in vitro fertilization.

Volcanologist

What they do: Monitor volcanic regions to determine when they'll erupt next. In addition to dodging hot magma, these scientists mountain climb their way through the heat and fight their way through fogs of sulfur dioxide gas, ash, rocks and debris.

Carcass Cleaner

What they do: Clean corpses for display using one of a variety of cleaning methods. This may include immersing the body in boiling chemicals, placing maggots or beetles on the carcass, or picking off the leftover flesh.

Fistula Feeder

What they do: Study how the insides of cattle work. To do this, they deplug the fistula, an opening to the bovine intestinal system, and take samples from the forestomach to test their digestion and reaction to food additives.

Corpse-Flower Grower

What they do: Grow and tend to a towering, foul-smelling plant called the corpse flower. Similar to the way pleasant-smelling flowers attract honeybees, the corpse flower attracts its own bugs, Sumatran carrion beetles and flesh flies. These scientists are competing to grow the largest blooming plant in cultivation.

See the original article here on CNN.com.

Prince Does Hollywood?

Prince is expected to announce a seven-week residency at Los Angeles' Roosevelt Hotel beginning in June.

Following on the heels of his announcement of a London residency in August, the star is expected to confirm seven Friday-night performances at the historic Hollywood hotel later this week.

Pending approval of a contract currently under negotiation, the shows will begin on June 15 and continue until the end of July, reports the Los Angeles Times.

Prince will reportedly be joined each week by a special guest, and deliver a two-hour performance beginning at 11:30 pm in the hotel's 250-seat Blossom Room.

Prince's chef will take over the hotel kitchen at 2am, turning the hotel restaurant into an after-hours dinner club where Prince will entertain diners until 4am as part of a jazz ensemble.

5/23/07 12:53 AM
"Prince To Play L.A. Residency?" at NME.com

What We Can Learn from Spiders...

I've come into contact with a few spiders in my line of work, (much to my daughter's disgust) but had no idea we could learn so much from them! Watch this...

Mother of the Year?

In honor of Mother's Day, just past, and my newly impending status as the mother of more than one, I share with you this story. I just love this one. So cute.

In a zoo in California, a mother tiger gave birth to a set of triplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size, they died shortly after birth.

The mother tiger after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health, although physically she was fine. The vets felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression.

The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve.After checking with many other zoos across the country, there were no tiger cubs available. The vets decided to try something that had never been tried in a zoo before. The only orphans that could be found quickly, were a litter of weaner pigs. The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger. Would they become cubs or pork chops??

Take a look........

Bad Album Covers

Sometimes you just have to wonder what on earth were these people thinking? See for yourself...

NOT Smoking

QuitMeter Counter courtesy of www.quitmeter.com.

I hate not smoking. Why is everything so great in life so bad for you? You can't drink too much or your liver will die; You can't smoke too much or your lungs will die; You can't eat too much bacon or chocolate cake or your heart will die. Drugs will kill you. Driving too fast will kill you. Your favorite music too loud will make you go deaf. Too much sex and you get a disease or too many babies. What the #@%*???

I'm unhappy. Uncomfortable, stressed, anxious, and afraid I'm gaining too much weight. And I CAN'T SMOKE.

This post is an attempt to focus on the good things about not smoking--See ticker at top of post. (BTW--It only cost me about $1000 a year to smoke--I think that's a price I would have gladly told you was worth it 27 weeks ago-and today, for that matter.) Found this pretty comprehensive list below with some nice dry humor to it. Thought I'd share with all of ya'll.

Reasons Not to Smoke (We all know them...but I thought a refresher might be good...)

1. I'll have fewer wrinkles.

2. After the first year, I'll have saved enough for a Caribbean cruise.

3. My breath will smell better than my dog's.

4. After the second year, I can spend the money I saved on the person I met on last year's Caribbean cruise.

5. I'll be around to see my grandchildren.

6. I won't have to worry about impotence with my new wife, whom I met on the Caribbean cruise two years ago.

7. I won't have to go outside between courses at a restaurant.

8. I'll be a good role model for my children.

9. My physician won't need to "counsel" me anymore.

10. I'll live longer.

11. I won't feel like a leper in public.

12. I won't have to worry about how smoking is ruining my health.

13. I'll save money on dry cleaning/incesssant clothes washing.

14. I won't have to hide my habit from my children.

15. My fingers won't get frostbitten when I go outside.

16. I'll be able to exercise more.

17. In time, I'll have the same life expectancy as a nonsmoker.

18. My dog won't get emphysema.

19. I'll cough less.

20. I'll be able to taste and smell food again.

21. My children will have fewer ear and respiratory infections.

22. My lipstick won't smudge.

23. I won't have to wonder if my date is bothered by cigarette smoke.

24. My teeth will be whiter.

25. I won't waste time looking for a smoking area everywhere I go.

26. No more wheezing.

27. I won't have to listen to talk about what it's like to kiss an ashtray.

28. I'll be able to get rid of something that is controlling my life.

29. My plants won't turn brown.

30. My baby will be at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome.

31. My fingers won't turn brown.

32. It's one less thing to carry around/check off my morning out-the-door list.

33. My lungs won't turn brown.

34. No more burning holes in my clothes.

35. My spouse will be less likely to develop heart disease or lung cancer.

36. I'll have to pull off the road only when I need gas.

37. My car won't reek.

38. I won't need to look forward to receiving oxygen through a nasal tube.

39. My house (or 3-season-porch!) won't reek.

40. I'll save my unborn child from nicotine withdrawal.

41. I won't reek.

42. I'll be able to play with my grandchildren without gasping.

43. I won't have to feel second class anymore.

44. No more nicotine fits on airplanes.

45. I'll have more energy.



Okay, that helps. For now. :)

Local Teenagers Making A Difference? You Bet!

Mayo students fight malaria among African kids

5/10/2007 10:25:51 AM

By Edie Grossfield for The Post-Bulletin

If something as simple and cheap as $10 mosquito nets can save lives in Africa, then it's worth a little effort to provide them.

That's the decision a group of Mayo High School students made last month when they started a fundraiser to help battle malaria, the No. 1 killer of African children.

Members of two student groups, the Mayo International Relations Association (MIRA) and the Diversity Committee, started the fundraiser after reading about what malaria is doing to many African countries.

Malaria, spread by mosquitoes, kills more than a million people per year. Ninety percent of those who die are African children.

And, due to the deaths and incapacitating effects of the disease, malaria costs Africa $12 billion a year in lost productivity, according to Nothing But Nets, a campaign working with the United Nations Foundation to raise money for mosquito nets.

Wanting to contribute to the campaign, Mayo students set an initial goal to raise $1,500 by engaging students in the school's social studies classes. However, in less than a month, they have surpassed $4,000. That translates to 400 mosquito nets, each of which can protect a family of four, said Travis Bain, a Mayo social studies teacher who has been motivating his 135 students to collect money for the campaign.

Matching funds

Factor in a 100-percent match by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the students have provided protection for 800 families, or up to 3,200 people.

*****

Students donated their own money, asked parents and relatives, and went door-to-door in their neighborhoods to collect the money.

*****

How to help

The Mayo High School campaign for Nothing But Nets, to help save African people from malaria, ends Friday. To contribute, send a check payable to Mayo High School and indicate on the check or in a note that it is for the malaria fundraiser. The school's address is 1420 11th Ave. S.E., Rochester, 55904.

Contributions also can be made directly to Nothing But Nets on the campaign's Web site at www.nothingbutnets.net.

Read the entire article here:

Prince News

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- U.S. rock star Prince will play 21 concerts in London later this year and plans to take time off music to study the Bible, he announced on Tuesday.

The innovative funk artist, who created such groundbreaking works as 1984's "Purple Rain" and 1987's "Sign O' The Times" and sold an estimated 80 million albums, made a brief appearance in the city to announce the gigs, beginning August 1.

Outside Organisation, a PR company helping to publicize the tour, said in a statement that Prince would be performing his greatest hits "for the very last time", but the artist did not confirm the claim.

*****

Prince said he planned to change his show every night, meaning fans who came to several shows would get a broader cross section of his music.

"We play so many different styles of music, it's really hard to get a full dose of what we do unless you come to several shows. I also have a wide fan base that comes to multiple shows all the time."

*****

Unsurprisingly for a performer who has had run-ins with the music establishment in the past, Prince referred to the industry as "the speculation business". He plans to give away copies of his new album to anyone attending the concerts.

Read the entire article here:
"Prince to play 21 nights in London" at CNN.com

Malaria Update

Sanofi launches cut-price malaria pill for Africa

LONDON (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis has launched a new cheap and easy-to-take combination pill to fight malaria that could help reduce deaths from the killer disease in Africa, it said on Thursday.

Sanofi is working with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) -- a group backed by charity Medecins Sans Frontieres -- and will sell the drug at no profit for less than $1 for adults and 50 cents for children under five years old.

The two-in-one pill is designed primarily for Africa, where a child dies of malaria every 30 seconds, but an amended form is also in the works for Latin America, South East Asia and India, where there are different types of malaria.

*****

In an unusual move for a drugmaker, Sanofi has decided not to patent the medicine, leaving the door open for generic companies to copy it and produce their own cheap versions.

Read the whole, brief article here:
Reuter's Canada: "Sanofi launches cut-price malaria pill for Africa"

Love CSI? This one's for you...

This super-cool link was shared with me by Mr. Nienhuisenfurgermeister. Thanks, Scott! Now, I pass it on to you.


Click Here for Directions!

Cool Creature From the Parasite World

This amazingly cool critter was recently identified in our lab. Got some fantastic pictures to share with you all. Enjoy!

Official ID: Ancylostoma duodenale (adult female)

Common Name: Hookworm




Length: 11 mm



Geographic Location: A. duodenale is found in the Middle East, North Africa and southern Europe.


(Don't worry--you're not that safe--it's close cousin, Necator americanus, predominates in the Americas and Australia, and together the two "hookworms" are the second most common human helminthic infection (after ascariasis).)

Clinical Features: Iron deficiency anemia (caused by blood loss at the site of intestinal attachment of the adult worms) is the most common symptom of hookworm infection, and can be accompanied by cardiac complications. Gastrointestinal and nutritional/metabolic symptoms can also occur. In addition, local skin manifestations ("ground itch") can occur during penetration of the larvae, and respiratory symptoms can be observed during pulmonary migration of the larvae.

Treatment: In countries where hookworm is common and reinfection is likely, light infections are often not treated. In the United States, hookworm infections are generally treated with albendazole. (See, it's not that bad, really!)