News Roundup

Just wanted to provide some updates to previous posts.

- "What Black Bolt Can Tell Us" - Failed to mention that Lockjaw, the Inhumans' dog, finally got his own title:

Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers is a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics from July to October 2009.

(FYI - The Avengers is a popular, long-running superhero team comic. Members have included Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man, and the Wasp.) The Wikipedia entry goes on to note that this team of super-pets (see my post "Super-Pets to the Rescue" for a discussion of rival DC's inimitable team) includes:

the cat Hairball; the diminutive dragon Lockheed; the falcon Redwing; the frog Throg and the puppyMs. Lion (actually a character from the animated series Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends).

(BTW - Hairball looks a lot like my cat Ben, who's a super-pet in my book.) The good news: if you're looking for issues, don't worry -- Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers is now available as a trade paperback.









- "A Bad Break - Part 2" - Found a medical illustration video on the ORIF procedure performed on my ankle (warning: may not be suitable for the faint of heart). I wanted to include it in my post but, unfortunately, "Embedding disabled by request." You can view it on YouTube.









- "A Beef with Beef" - Last week, I saw animal science and autism expert Temple Grandin give a presentation at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences. Made me think (even more) about the humane treatment of animals. My wife, for good reason, is eager to become a vegetarian (first step: eat organic foods/meat from humanely raised livestock). She passed along this Nov. 2 story from the New York Times:

Two people, one from New Hampshire and another from upstate New York, have died after eating ground beef that may be responsible for an E. coli outbreak linked to illness in more than two dozen people....

Infection with E. coli O157:H7 can have a wide range of effects, from mild intestinal discomfort to death. The New Hampshire resident who died of it contracted hemolytic uremic syndrome, a disease that attacks red blood cells and can cause kidney failure....

While thorough cooking can kill E. coli O157:H7, it is dangerous even in microscopic doses and can be spread from utensils or cooking surfaces to other foods....

At more than 270 tons of beef, Saturday’s recall was a large one. The Agriculture Department said the median beef recall last year was 7,733 pounds.

She also shared this newser story on slaughterhouse practices (certainly not for the faint of heart).

If you know your Bible, you know that Adam and Eve (and, by extension, mankind) were entrusted with being caretakers of God's creation:

"So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, blessed them, and said, 'Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals.'" - Genesis 1:27,28

It never hurts to remember: we have an obligation to our fellow creatures.