Coffee and Provocation

• Is Lyme Disease an Alien Life Form?
  The pathogen that causes Lyme Disease -- Borrelia burgdorferi -- does not run on iron like every other life form on earth. Instead, it depends on manganese, which means that when the liver produces hepcidin to fight the infection, that natural iron-inhibiting hormone does nothing to starve the pathogen, which is why Lyme disease is so robust absent a good dosing of Doxycline.
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• Zeuterin Sterilization for Dogs:
  The FDA is expected to green light Zeuterin as a new, safe, cheaper and faster way to sterilize male dogs age three to ten months.  Zeuterin  is a solution of zinc gluconate, a natural spermicide, which is injected into each testicle leaving it incapable of producing sperm. No anesthesia is needed, and the dog will continue to have about half its normal testosterone production, which has health benefits.  Dogs that have been "Zeutered" will have a microchip implanted that notes that fact and/or will be tattooed with a number that includes the letter "z".
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• Falcon Genes Sequenced for First Time:
  Scientists from Cardiff University in Wales have sequenced the genome of peregrine and saker falcons for the first time.
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• Mark Kleiman to Become Washington State's First Pot Czar:
  The first marijuana licensing and control official for the state of Washington is Mark Kleiman, someone I have mentioned before in the context of operant conditioning for criminals, which is exactly like operant conditioning for dogs and other forms of wildlife.  See Training Humans like Dogs and Watch the Cows.
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• Border Patrol Uniforms Made in Mexico?
  Yep, that seems to be the case.  And why not?  Remember that every self-righteous union organizer is standing in front of you in clothes that are made overseas and advocating for a massive amnesty for illegal aliens that came to America in order to take a job that would have gone to an American if decent wages and working conditions had been offered.
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• The Sheep are Worried, the Dog is Dead:
  A friend who rescues dogs in the U.K. just had one of her very fine rescues shot for sheep worrying.  Sheep worrying is as big an issue in the U.K. as deer chasing here in the U.S., but in the U.K. they have removed the best tool to end it.  Saying no to e-collars means saying yes to shooting dogs and dogs being killed in traffic due to chasing deer.  Read what Temple Grandin says about that.
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• Bill and Melinda Gates Want a Better Condom:
  Too much information?  No, really, they are just trying to save the world and a few million lives by making sex a little more fun. All good. All very good.
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• And While We're Trying to Save the World:
  Dean Kamen (the inventor of the Segway and hundreds of other things) and Coca Cola have partnered to put the Slingshot freshwater machine into villages across Africa.  This is a machine that can process 50 gallons of filthy water (including pure urine) into distilled water as fast as you can say "Bob's your uncle."
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• Maybe This Priority Is Not as Twisted as It Sounds:
  A new U.S. Study says more people in the world now have cell phones than modern toilets.  Crazy?  Not really.  Remember, a cell phone can bring you information, a new way of living, a job, personal security, political power, and even tell you where you need to go.
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• Even When the Cat Wins, It Loses:
  A male mountain lion that grabbed a pet Dachshund off its leash as it was being walked in a gated community near Colorado Springs, Colorado has been trapped and euthanized by state wildlife officials who deemed the big cat a threat to public safety.

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