Fugates of Kentucky: Skin Bluer than Lake Louise

 I've heard rumors that it was possible to have blue skin, but I never really took them seriously. This article convinced me that this actually is a true condition that has troubled the Fugate family for years. Relatives described Luna Fugate as "blue all over," and "the bluest woman I ever saw." Luna's great grandson was born blue as well. The Fugate stories begin with Martin Fugate who migrated from France in 1820 and was said to be blue. He married someone who also had the gene, and four of their seven children were blue. This genetic condition is called methemoglobinemia; it is a very recessive gene strengthened though intermarriage. This blue skin tint can also be caused by exposure to chemicals such as benzocaine and xylocaine. There is not a lot to say about this article, but I guess it's a fair warning against intermarriage. I kind of cringed at their bad luck, but I just hope this family was able to find some sort of normal instead of being gawked at their entire lives.


"Fugates of Kentucky: Skin Bluer than Lake Louise." Yahoo! Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://gma.yahoo.com/fugates-kentucky-skin-bluer-lake-louise-200247843--abc-news.html>.

Global warming may lead to shorter humans and cuter animals

Recent studies show that global warming may shrink the human race. When global warming occurred 56 million years ago ancient horse species shrunk significantly then increased in size when the temperature cooled. More studies showed that one-third of mammal species has similar size change. These studies show a strong correlation between this change in size the the changing global heat. This could be a sign that global warming could cause humans to shrink in the future. This may be because smaller animals can shed more easily shed excess heat, which would be helpful in the increased heats. In fact, scientists predict the average temperature to rise 7 degrees Fahrenheit in the next few centuries.

I find this article very interesting. Mostly because these smaller ancient horses were about eight and a half pounds and that's probably one of the cutest things I can imagine. I would give my life savings and my right arm to have one as a pet. Other than that I don't find this article of any consequence; I have no prejudice against short people.






"Scientists: Global Warming May Lead to a Short Presence for Humanity." State Politics, Political News. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/2012/02/26/scientists-global-warming-may-lead-to-a-short-presence-for-humanity/>.

Cancer-Fighting Teen Invites Taylor Swift To Prom; Gets Surprise Response

 Kevin Mcguire was diagnosed with cancer at 13. He struggled through it all of high school while trying his best to have a normal life.He is now 18 years old and recently had a cancer relapse. While going though treatment he commented that he wouldn't find a date for the prom. His sister quickly jumped into action; she was determined to get Taylor Swift to go with him. After campaigning on facebook and getting a response from 90,000 people, Kevin finally got an answer from Taylor. She politely declined, but instead invited him to be her date to the ACM awards.

Love or hate Taylor Swift this was a very cool thing to do. It's always great when you see a celebrity use their power to help people. I also really respect Kevin's sister. It was a long shot trying to get Taylor to go, but she went for it because she cared so much for her brother. I hope Kevin has a great time at the awards. More so I hope for a quick remission so he is able to finish high school strong. 


"Cancer-Fighting Teen Invites Taylor Swift To Prom; Gets Surprise Response." Yahoo! Music. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/our-country/cancer-fighting-teen-invites-taylor-swift-prom-gets-214655227.html>.

Relationship Advice From The Longest Living Married Couple; Married For 85 Years

 This is one of the coolest story I've seen in a long time. Herbert and Zelmyra Fisher have been married for 85 years, longer than most people are alive let alone married. Zelmyra is 101 years old and Herbert is 104. The couple now has 5 children, 10 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great grandchild. The article is all about there advice for a strong marriage like working together, doing nice things for each other, and communication. When asked what was the most important things they have in common they responded, "We are both Christians & believe in God.Marriage is a commitment to the Lord.We pray with & for each other every day."
I love this article because it manages to define love while giving an example of an extremely successful marriage. It shows that the dream marriage is possible; two people together for almost a century and still love each other. The fact that they credit God as keeping them together really speaks to me. It shows the importance of having Him at the center of a relationship. I wish this couple the best as they spend their last years together.






"Relationship Advice From The Longest Living Married Couple; Married For 85 Years." Black Like Moi. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. <http://blacklikemoi.com/2012/02/black-news-2/relationship-advice-from-the-longest-living-married-couple-married-for-85-years/>.

How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did

 Okay, this one really creeped me out. Target can now figure out if you are pregnant based on what items you buy. A computer figuring out intimate details of your life? The singularity is not far off! In fact Target sent a teenager coupons for baby clothes and cribs. Her dad called to complain, assuring them that such coupons were inappropriate for a teenage girl. Later when Target called to apologize to the man he admitted that he had just found out his daughter was in fact pregnant.

I'll admit it, this is brilliant. Incredibly creepy, but brilliant. I wonder if it's going to expand to all different types of consumers. Also, I wonder if all stores are going to start doing this. I hope not, I'm always one of this people that end up buying the weirdest things at grocery stores. I once left the store with instant coffee and a salmon fillet. Now what does that say about me?  Oh well, I guess creepiness aside this is a really good idea. Maybe soon Target will be able to know if you're pregnant before you do. . .

Hill, Kashmir. "How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/>.

Real-life couple from 'The Vow' explain key differences

 Everyone knows the new movie the "The Vow," a tragic but ultimately happy story of a newly married couple that faced a car accident that wiped all the wife's memory of her new husband. This movie is actually based on the true story and book “The Vow” by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter. But there is a key difference, while the book credit's the couple Christianity as drawing them together, the movie strips the characters of this important belief.Kim Carpenter said, “The movie doesn’t talk about faith significantly. It would have been nice to see more of it,”Showing that although the couple was not mad about Hollywood's depiction of them, they would have preferred to see a movie with as much depth and power as the true story had. Some critic agree that it was a nice story but because of its push for secular values it didn't hold a candle to the power of the true story.

I don't understand Hollywood. They make things secular to sell to a wider audience. But wait, don't 82% of American believe in God? If just a fraction of that 82% went to see the movie, it would already be successful. Even then, most of the 18% left are not completely opposed to all things religious, some of them would go see it anyway. So why the push to make everything secular? Off the top of my head I can think of movies like Fireproof, Bridge to Terribithia, and Soul Surfer that have an emphasis on faith yet did very well in theaters. Maybe Hollywood needs to think this through before assuming all of America is on the same page with premarital sex and extramarital affairs as the "norm" in a modern relationship. I'm a little disappointed in Hollywood. Of course, I have been for awhile and I doubt it's going to go away anytime soon. In the mean time I'll watch my old Disney movies, foreign films, and indie movies and be completely fine thank you very much.

Piazza, Jo. "Real-life Couple from 'The Vow' Says It 'would Have Been Nice' to See Christian References in Film." Fox News. FOX News Network, 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/02/16/real-life-couple-from-vow-says-it-would-have-been-nice-to-see-christian/>.

Is Stress Good for You?

We've all heard that a little stress is okay in our daily lives, but I had no idea it can actually be good for you. This article explains that stress can work like adrenaline and small doses of stress that have positive effects such as helping you get over a cold or flu, speeding up recovery after surgery, helping you bond with people, making vaccines more effective, enhancing memory, fighting tumors, and boosting your resiliency.

 I find this very interesting. Especially that it can fight tumors, because tumors are kind of a big deal. I wonder where the line is that stress goes from good for you to not so good for you. I wonder where I am in that spectrum, probably that latter. We live in a society where a lot of stress is normal. Maybe if we could lower society stress average a little, we would all be healthier. I have no idea how to go about doing this, but it's a nice idea.

"7 Surprising Ways Stress Helps Your Health and Wellbeing | Vitality - Yahoo! Shine." Yahoo! Shine - Women's Lifestyle | Healthy Living and Fashion Blogs. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/7-surprising-ways-stress-helps-health-wellbeing-175800759.html>.

Bored Student endeavors to spite Starbucks

Okay, that wasn't the actually name of this article, but I'd say it's fitting. I can just see 22 year old Logan holding his birthday coupon for a free starbucks drink with a conniving smile on his face. Creating the world's most expensive starbucks drink? Sounds like as good of an afternoon as any. But getting his drink up to $23.60 plus tip was no small feat, the contents included: Java Chip Frappucino ($4.75), plus 16 shots of espresso($12), a shot of soy milk(.60), a drop of caramel flavoring(.50), a scoop of banana puree($1), another scoop of strawberry puree(.60), a few vanilla beans(.50), a dash of Matcha powder(.75), some protein powder(.50) and a caramel and mocha drizzle to cap it off(.60). That'll show starbucks! That's the last time they give someone an open-ended coupon!

I actually think I would get along with this Logan character. I kind of respect this endeavor, as pointless as it may be. I'm just curious what the thought process behind this was; it was almost like he was trying to prove something. That starbucks is overpriced? duh. That the American public spend way too much money on coffee? Also true, but I have a problem with these complaints. Starbucks in no way forces one to buy from them, they don't have a monopoly on the coffee industry and they do offer choices that are less than two dollars. If you do buy from them you're giving them the power to raise their prices since they know they'll still make money. If you hate starbucks stop complaining and make your own coffee. Now that I've sufficiently ranted today I just have one more thing to say. I find it extremely sad that after all that trouble Logan's drink turned out being barely tolerable. It's a sad waste of such a beautiful coupon. Being a self-proclaimed coffee snob I can't help but think of the delicious drink I could have gotten...

Weiss, Piper. "The Most Expensive Starbucks Drink Ever: $23.60 Plus Tip | Shine Food - Yahoo! Shine." Yahoo! Shine - Women's Lifestyle | Healthy Living and Fashion Blogs. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/most-expensive-starbucks-drink-ever-23-60-plus-214200067.html>.

Mother sues city for $900 trillion

If someone unfairly put my children in foster care I would be quite mad. Would I sue? Probably. For $900 trillion? Woa there, doesn't that seem like an awfully lot of money? Enough to pay off the national debt dozens of times over in fact. Recently a Staten Island mom sued the city of West Brighton and the Administration for Children's Services for wrongfully putting her two children in foster care in 2008. The mom claims they violated her now teenage children's civil liberties by doing so. The city hasn't responded but will claim  the mom is mentally ill and unfit for childcare. But a state court recently through out a case that claimed she is guilty of neglect because metal illness alone is not proof of neglect. The Inquisitr's Kim LaCapria says the mom is smart in picking such a large amount of money because it draws attention and sympathy to her case, even if it is doubtful that she was actually get anywhere near that amount.
I guess I'm a little conflicted on this one. The city does have a responsibility to protect children, but at the same time children should never be taken from home unless it's absolutely necessary. I guess my real problem with this story is where was the children when all this was happening? These two boys are apparently teenagers, which is old enough to have a say in where they want to live.  This article talks about these children like they are helpless which is fact they are almost old enough to take care of themselves. I feel like this issue could have been resolved without reaching such ridiculous proportions if someone had just stopped to really talk to these boys for a while. That being said, I mostly side with the mother. If you take children away from a mother you better have a good reason or expect the worst.

"Mother Sues City for $900 Trillion–yes, Trillion–for Placing Children in Foster Care." Yahoo! News - Latest News & Headlines. Web. 09 Feb. 2012. <http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/mother-sues-city-900-trillion-yes-trillion-placing-213613703.html>.

Indonesian Twins, Separated at Birth, Reunite in Sweden

Emilie Falk and Lin Backman having a lot in common. They live 40 kilometres apart in Sweden, are both teachers, got married on the same day one year apart, and even danced to the same wedding song. But the girls know this is more than a coincidence; they are actually twins separated at birth. When they were adopted from Indonesian three decades ago there parents had no idea their new daughter had a twin. It was a hint from a taxi driver that led Backman's parents to contact Falk's parents and investigate, but errors in the records and birth certificates make them decide to abandon the idea. Years later Emilie decided to look into it again by contacting Lin on facebook. When they realized just how much they had in common they knew it was more than a strange coincidence and they took a DNA test. The results came back that they had a 99.98 percent chance of being sisters, more than enough for them to be sure. The girls keep in close touch, even talking about going to Indonesia to find their birth parents. Their records suggest their dad was a taxi driver, leading them to think that just maybe he was the driver who gave their parents the first hint thirty years ago. Maybe this story in some ways, is just beginning.

My first though while reading this story is "wow, this stuff actually happens?" Following by a mix of astonishment and irritation at whoever did these girl's records.  I feel it should be turned into a book or movie, or just a remake the of the show "Sister, Sister." In all honesty it's a very cool story. To think that these girls lived so close to each other for so long with no idea they had a twin, it kind of hurts my head. But it also makes me happy, I mean they already had good lives. They had caring parents, were married, obviously had some money since they could access the internet. This addition of sister just makes it a little better.Also, it really shows how in some we really are living in a great time. People can hate on facebook all they want and how it leads to "communication problems" but this kind of stuff wouldn't happen without it. Yes, there are going to be side effects to the facebook era, but maybe it's about time people let go of these potential problems and realize all it's done for us. Siblings are reunited and families are able to keep in contact, seeing this makes me know it's worth it.

"Separated at Birth, Indonesian Twins Meet in Sweden - Yahoo!" Yahoo! News UK & Ireland - Latest World News & UK News Headlines. Web. 01 Feb. 2012. <http://uk.news.yahoo.com/separated-birth-indonesian-born-twins-reunited-sweden-075544851.html>.