Irukandji

I know they say dinamite comes in small packages, but this one is a real killer.  And I mean that literally.  Irukandji - one of the box jellyfish family. With bell and tentacles just 2.5 centimetres across, it is almost impossible to detect.  Irukandji is the name of an aboriginal tribe that once lived in the area around Cairns in north Queensland.  At the moment they are found mostly around Northern Australia, around the Barrier Reef, but they have been detected in most of the Pacific basin and even as far as Florida  I mean the jellyfish, not the aboriginals.  They are small enough to slip through the nets that have been put up around Australian beaches to keep jellyfish out. 

Which poses a rather big problem.  The sting of the Irukandji is leathal. Symptoms are vomiting, sweating, headache, agitation, rapid heart beat, high blood pressure, excruciating pain and of course death.  There is no anti venom as yet, but there is an curios treatment.  Doctors have started giving Magnesium infusions to people suspected of being stung by the minute Irukandji, and it seems to be working.  Despite or maybe just because it is such an inexpensive everyday procedure.  Of course the first thing you do after being stung, (after freaking out) is put some vinegar on the affected area.  This will deactivate any unfired nematocysts on the skin.  That means any cells that have not discharged their venom.

From 1883 to late 2005, the box jellyfish accounted for at least 70 recorded deaths.  In January 2002, a tourist swimming near Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays died after being stung by a jellyfish. His death was reported by the press to have been caused by an irukandji.   The 58-year-old man had a pre-existing medical condition that made a jellyfish sting fatal. He had a valve replacement and was taking warfarin to thin his blood. After he was stung, his blood pressure increased which caused a brain hemorrhage leading to his death.

Which makes me think this is another one of those H1N1 cases, where the afliction exaggerates an already existing condition.  Over 60 people are taken to hospital with stings every year, how many of them are completely healthy?  I agree that people should be made aware of the dangers of Irukandji.  Especially since its started to spread due to global warming.  Pretty soon a lot more water in the ocean will be warm enough for these creatures to live in.



 

Crappy code

I am starting to feel like an idiot.  For some reason (maybe the fact that I have never in my  life worked with code...)  I cant get the HTML thing right.  I get the code pasted - but it changes absolutely nothing on my blog.  I must add that the only thing I have ever done to the internet is to upload a new ftp file, and any ape can do that.  Thats apart from email and surfing, at which I excel.

I have never been technologically challenged, and yes I do read the instructions.  Its just not working.......
I just noticed that Ive aparently been struggling for 3 hours.  That just pees me off.  I was supposed to get a tan today.  A bit late for that now.  Can anyone tell me what to do, please?  I really dont want to buy another screen. 

Well retrenchment sucks,  I am bored to tears and I am eating way too much.
Hopefully Ill get over it soon or Ill turn into a beach ball.  The fact that Ive recently quit smoking doesnt help at all.  Finding work is just about impossible.  But hey, the sun will shine again tomorrow,

I finally got around to seeing the Dark Night.  I can understand why Heath Ledger killed himself,  I could hardly believe it was him.  Not something I would watch again.  I also saw The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  Oh my soul....   Indiana Jones and aliens???  Thats just not right.  I know Im a bit late in writing this, but it was just to ridiculous not to say anything.  That said, my new Harry Potter has been pre - ordered.  cant wait.  Unfortunately I already know the whole story, since Ive read all the books, but its still one of my favourites. 

Well enough about that - the recession seems to be receding.  Its just starting to bug me that every shop you walk into, you get bugged about opening an account.  How many times do I have to say "no thank you" before they get the message?  And the car guards....  Try asking one of them which one your car is.  They have no idea.  But you are supposed to give them and the guy that grabbed your trolley out of your hands and the one that then grabbes your groceries out of the trolley and puts it in the car a hand full of money....

Youre broke when you get home, plus you have to keep drawing cash to have in your wallet for all these people.  And in this country youre not even guarenteed that the car guard wont either steal or help steal your car.  Thats if they dont assualt you. 
Oh what fun to live in South Africa...