People will always believe the rumours,
People will always believe the lies,
Take comfort that your true friends will know the truth,
Get on with your life and always smile,
Do not ever let the people get you down,
Your better than them for ignoring it,
They won’t ask for truth as they just care about gossip,
The people that make the stories never thrive,
They have no life beyond tales and fabrications,
They do not realise this will make u stronger,
Eventually if not right now,
At some point the truth will come out,
They are the weak ones for believing it.©
A Lack of Dental Implants Can Cause More than a Broken Smile
It’s true. If you need dental implants and your dentist doesn’t offer them then you are in trouble. And this is not just because you are stuck with a broken smile that vaguely resembles the keys on a piano. Now you have to go through the arduous task of finding someone who does, but if there’s only one or two people in your area who can do it then you could end up paying out a lot of money.
But why don’t more dentists offer dental implants as part of their itinerary? Well the Dental Economics website sheds some light on this in an article by Anthony Sclar, a Miami-based oral technician.
- Inferior supporting team.
- More training.
- Some dentists just don’t enjoy it.
Ok, if the dentist doesn’t enjoy it then there’s not a whole lot you can do about any of this. Most dentists tend to work in private practice so they are entitled to pick and choose which procedures they offer.
In some cases, if an inferior team is present then there’s not a whole lot they can do about that either. If they have the ability to bring in a new team then that would be a good idea, but does the hassle really warrant the increased revenue? Some will say yes and some will say no.
Finally, let’s take a look at the dentists who just can’t be bothered. It’s their right to decide on what procedures they offer, but this might say a lot more about your dentist than you think. If they are too lazy to take a few training courses then maybe they’re too lazy to really care about your child’s toothache?
What will be the future of dental implants, though? Well the dental implant industry all around the world is on the up as more and more people are able to pay for this procedure. For example, the 8th of May 2012 saw a press release from Healthcare Global talk about how ceramic dental implants are now available in Maryland, U.S.
But the future of the dental implant industry is already bright in the UK, because despite the fact that this country is dominated by the public healthcare industry, in the form of the NHS, the dental industry bucks the trend as it’s nearly completely privatised. So finding dental implants in Sheffield, London, Manchester, or Birmingham is not actually that difficult since many dentists prefer to keep away from the NHS.
“Like a patient etherized upon a table”: The horror of anaesthetic awareness
Whilst the statistical likelihood of finding yourself awake on the surgical operating table is less than 0.5%, the horrific idea of ‘anaesthetic awareness’ remains active in the popular consciousness. Although grouped under the title ‘general anaesthesia’, in fact anaesthesiologists administer a wide range of different drugs to place their patient into a sustained state of unconsciousness.
Despite the fact that televised medical dramas have made many of us familiar with the notion of being ‘put to sleep’ (we’ve all seen the injection of an induction agent such as sodium pentathol being given to the patient just before they’re wheeled into theatre), the process of anaesthesia is much more complex. After injecting this first drug, the anaesthesiologist also typically gives his patient an opiate (which works as a pain-eradicating analgesic), a benzodiazepine to reduce anxiety and a neuromuscular ‘blocking’ agent such as vecuronium. This sleeping state is then maintained by having the patient breathe oxygen laced with a vaporized liquid anaesthetic such as isoflurane.
Whilst medical advances have made anaesthesia the safest it has ever been, there are inevitably certain subsections of society who are more at risk of experiencing anaesthetic awareness. Although steps can be taken to offer alternative drugs to patients with medical conditions that would put their health in danger (like those with low blood pressure or women who require emergency caesarean operations) there will always be a margin of risk for anyone who undergoes surgery. Indeed, it is clear that any error in planning – no matter how small – could see the paralysing effects of a neuromuscular blocking agent become catastrophic for the patient. Even though the agent is used with very good reason (anaesthesia slows down the patient’s respiration rate and the paralysis induced by a neuromuscular blocker facilitates effortless control over their breathing), the fact that neuromuscular drugs make no impact on the patient’s consciousness leaves them vulnerable to an unimaginably horrific experience.
Certainly, in the event of any mishap (unanticipated patient tolerance, human or mechanical fault or if the other anaesthetic agents prove insufficient) then the patient is potentially left wide awake, unable to move and terrified. Whilst the clues are there for an observant anaesthesiologist (an increase in blood pressure and heart rate show that the anaesthesia is wearing off slightly), there is always a chance this could be missed.
Statistics vary on the specifics, but there is no doubt that anaesthetic awareness causes deep psychological effects for those who experience it. Although anaesthesia awareness remains relatively rare, the anxiety suffered by those who experience it should not be underestimated, with over 70% of victims experiencing lasting psychological symptoms for the rest of their lives. With such troubling and traumatic potential effects from anaesthesia, it’s no wonder that there are now medical negligence claims specialists helping people secure compensation for this horrible ordeal.
Julianne Moore to Play Mother in Carrie
Following news that Chloe Moretz will be playing Carrie in the upcoming remake, the film loving world has been waiting with baited breath for news of who would be playing Carrie’s mother. Now it transpires that Julianne Moore has been given the honour.
It will be interesting to see if Moore can bring the same psychotic intensity to the role as Piper Laurie, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal, some of which can be seen in the best-of video below.
No doubt many will have reservations about this casting – great actress that Moore is, this would be a departure from her normal roles and there will be uncertainty that she can pull it off, just as there is doubt that Anne Hathaway will do justice to Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises.
Still, at least Hathaway and Moore are experienced actresses. What’s probably more disconcerting to films of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is that the scriptwriter is Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa of Glee. For those fortunate enough to have never seen Glee, here’s a preview:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Magic Poo Machine
It sounds like a great title for a book does it not? Ok, maybe it’s just me then. Even though the title sounds too unreal to possibly be believable, it’s true. There’s a poo machine on our planet right now. And no, it’s not your grandmother or your bald-headed cousin fresh out of the womb. It’s actually in a museum in Tasmania.
Australia can be a strange place and this is just one of the reasons why. Dubbed as an ‘adult Disneyland’, the Museum of Old and New Art features a number of works, such as Egyptian mummies and pieces of art by young artists from all over the world.
However, none of these is the main attraction. And that is the legendary poo machine. Created by Belgian artist Wim Delvoye, this machine is designed to replicate the human digestive system. It does so through a number of glass receptacles that hang in a row. The machine is then fed from one end and the device steadily digests its meal and then ejects it at 2pm daily.
The truth is that many visitors can’t handle the smell and some even throw up. I’ve no idea where they get its fuel from, but I’d like to think that it’s not from the staff. Surprisingly, the machine is actually hated by many visitors, and yet it also gets the most visits.
Now this certainly does challenge one’s interpretation of what art is. To me it seems more like a piece of engineering genius than anything else. If you look at the picture we have provided here then it looks more like an elegant machine than art. I would even argue that it could be used as a teaching tool to demonstrate the digestive system. Obviously, it wouldn’t be a live demonstration due to health and safety, however I think that a video link would be good.
This is not the only machine like this, though. This machine, which is actually named the Cloaca, is part of a series. Apparently, there are about five similar machines that have already been created by the artist. One of these poo machines will actually be exhibited at the Louvre in the very near future. Just don’t put it anywhere near the Mona Lisa or her facial expression will turn into a frown!
News in Briefs 13/05/12
When we do the ‘political oops of the week’ it’s normally a metaphorical oops, but this week it’s a literal one. We also have painful mixed with stupidity, as well as lots of other news. It’s actually quite a good week for this column because we had to cut stuff which would have made it last week, the week before that, etc.
Political Oops of the Week
As promised, this week’s oops is literal. Have you ever been watching the television only to find out you just won an election to become the mayor of the town? No? Me neither, but one Italian man did just that. Isn’t it strange how it always seems to be a town in the middle of rural Italy that comes up with these stories?
50-year-old Fabio Borsatti rose to fame in the mountain town of Cimolais as he became the mayor of the town. The truth is he actually just stood as a candidate as a favour to a friend who was the reigning mayor of the town. The reason for this is that he thought that it would seem a little sketchy if he was the only candidate, and therefore winning by default.
But run he did, and through all the odds he overcame everything and found out about it when somebody rang him up to congratulate him whilst he was watching the football. Mayor Borsatti even admitted that he didn’t even want to become mayor, however he was stuck with it.
You can’t really begin to understand how unlikely this occurrence was until you find out that his own family voted against him.
Good luck running a town like Cimolais when you didn’t even have any policies to start with, Mayor Borsatti!
The Painful…
Some people are just destined to be morons. This latest moron is British woman Jane Beirne, 57, who just had major surgery to reattach her heel after she slipped off a jetty that had no handrails in Israel. She hit a piece of metal and it left her heel hanging off of her foot. Naturally, she had no travel insurance so she had to pay around £10,000 to have it reattached.
She is now attempting to sue the mayor of Ma-alot Tarshikha in Israel because of her injury. If you can’t already see the flaw in her plan then let me enlighten you.
First of all, she is trying to sue the town on the basis that there were no handrails on the jetty. This would be completely understandable if it happened in this country, however there are no such rules over there. So she is now attempting to apply our rules and standards to another country. Fail number one.
Now, she honestly believes that she can use the solicitors of Britain to sue a town half a world away. And this is despite the fact that legal advice has told her that she would be unable to lodge a successful claim. Fail number two.
Finally, the fact she is out of pocket is that she forgot to take out travel insurance in the first place. She booked the holiday online so she is either just plain stupid or this is a convenient excuse to attempt to sue somebody. My verdict is that she tried to save money and is she now looking for a convenient excuse to get her money back. Fail number three, and you’re out!
…And the Pointless
This week it was the TIME Magazine cover which held a picture of a three-year-old breastfeeding that sparked controversy this week. Supposedly, people were upset because of the age of the child. But my question is why does it matter?
And the concept of breastfeeding is not the only reason I’m talking about this. I’m talking about this because people still seem to think that it’s their place to tell people how to raise their child. Now I’m not saying that inciting hatred or beating them is right as they are blanket issues which come into contact with the law of the land. But this breastfeeding picture in TIME Magazine seems to imply that people should be able to tell other people exactly how long to do something for, when to do something, and if they don’t do it they judge them.
Take a look at the slogan on the front: “Are You Mom Enough?” Already it’s implying that those who don’t breastfeed for this long are in some way inferior to other mothers. The article inside might not imply that, but the fact is that people are going to glean that sort of impression when they read the front cover.
Seriously, mind your own damn business!
The So Outrageous Yet Borderline Hilarious
Cockfighting is illegal in every US state, however it still goes on in places like California due to the fact that getting caught for illegal cockfighting only incurs a misdemeanour, whereas in other states it amounts to a serious criminal offense. The cocks (pun intended) got their revenge this week, though, as one man felt the full force of one cock (pun is still intended), and simultaneously suffered the consequences of breaking the law on cocks (pun will always be intended from now).
During the illegal cockfighting in the central California county of Tulare, the two animals had sharp knives attached to their legs; which is common practice. But Jose Luis Ochoa, aged 35, who was attending the fight, got more than he bargained for when he was attacked by one of the participant’s cocks.
The cock stabbed him in his leg with one of the knives and he was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital two hours later. At the moment, they are debating whether it was the fault of the people present that he died as he wasn’t given immediate treatment, but the fact is that he’s dead and it must have been a serious injury.
The coroner’s report reads “sharp force injury” to the right calf of Mr. Ochoa. Animal lovers will be smiling everywhere right now.
A Positive Outlook for the Week
Do you remember the time when you find a comedian who you really love for years and years and years, but as he gets older he steadily gets worse. You stay and watch him, but eventually people tell him he needs to stop. He doesn’t stop, though. He continues until you just want to kill him with a rusty hammer made out of the tears of the mass unemployed. Jeremy Hunt is like that, although he was never loved. But this week, I think he’s going to finally go.
So maybe next week won’t be so bleak and irritating after all…