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3-day-old giant panda cub dies at Kobe zoo :
3-day-old giant panda cub dies at Kobe zoo
The Yomiuri Shimbun
KOBE--A giant panda cub died at Oji Zoo in Kobe on Friday, three days after it was born, the zoo said.
The cub's death is believed to have been due to either excessively strong hugging from its mother, or enfeeblement from not drinking milk.
The cub was born to mother Dan Dan and her partner Xing Xing, both 12, as the result of artificial insemination. According to the zoo in Nada Ward, a keeper monitoring the panda enclosure noticed around 12:50 p.m. that the cub's cries were weakening. It was confirmed dead an hour later.
The cub was 19 centimeters long and weighed 82 grams.
(Aug. 30, 2008) 3-day-old giant panda cub dies at Kobe zoo The Yomiuri Shimbun ... more -
Ceremony marks 'death' of Australia's greatest river
Thousands of people rallied in southern Australia Sunday to protest the dwindling water levels in one of the country's greatest rivers, claiming the loss was causing an environmental disaster.
The 5,000-strong crowd gathered near the mouth of the 2,530 kilometre (1,569 mile) Murray to hold two minute's silence to mark the 'death' of the river, which forms part of Australia's most important agricultural region.
Kym McHugh, mayor of the local Alexandrina Council, said the ceremony near the South Australian town of Goolwa was to "underscore this eleventh hour bid to save the nation's greatest river." "It sent a very clear message by saying we've had a lot of talk about the river system, a lot of science, we all know what the problem is -- we just want politicians to have the will to fix it up," he told national news agency AAP.
"They need to secure water upstream and send it down."
Water levels are so low in the Murray River, due to drought and irrigation, that the freshwater lakes the river feeds into are turning to acid.
The federal government last week said there was not enough water in the system to save the freshwater lakes, leading to suggestions that ocean water could be used to prevent the lakes from drying out.
But the council wants the government to release water held in storage in upstream states into the river so it can flow down and prevent an environmental, economic and social disaster in the region.
"We need to give these lakes another chance," McHugh said.
The Murray, along with the 2,740-kilometre Darling River and 1,690-kilometre Murrumbidgee River, form the Murray Darling Basin, which accounts for some 40 percent of the nation's agricultural production.
photo credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95438214@N00/2306721603/ Thousands of people rallied in southern Australia Sunday to protest the dwindling water levels in one of the country's greatest r... more -
Forever Yours: A Sadly Haunting Tale of Love and Loss
Stephen Kellam’s short film “Forever Yours” is a visually beautiful achievement. The film was produced with no spoken dialogue. Instead, the film’s emotional message is marked by the tone of its background music, which is melancholy and burdened with sadness.
Its haunting echoes serve as a metaphoric reminder that our lives are too often vulnerable to experiences of fragmentation wrought by the undercurrents of dread and ghosts from our past.
"Forever Yours" begins as a short but deeply disquieting simple story of love and loss during wartime. Suddenly, the film about a soldier dreaming of a rendezvous with his loved one back home becomes, in part, a film about our universal wishes for and dreams about a lost world. In other words, the film makes a sharp descent into the darker realm of reminiscent melancholia.
Great photographs and this wonderful, moving short film are included. Stephen Kellam’s short film “Forever Yours” is a visually beautiful achievement. The film was produced with no spoken dialogue. Instea... more -
Depression strikes more Americans than cancer, AIDS, or coronary heart disease
Depression strikes about 17 million American adults each year--more than cancer, AIDS, or coronary heart disease--according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). An estimated 15 percent of chronic depression cases end in suicide. Women are twice as likely as men to be affected.
Many people simply don't know what depression is. "A lot of people still believe that depression is a character flaw or caused by bad parenting," says Mary Rappaport, a spokeswoman for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. She explains that depression cannot be overcome by willpower, but requires medical attention.
Fortunately, depression is treatable, says Thomas Laughren, M.D., team leader for psychiatric drug products in FDA's division of neuropharmacological drug products.
In the past 13 years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved several new antidepressants, including Wellbutrin (bupropion), Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine), Effexor (venlafaxine), Serzone (nefazodone), and Remeron (mirtazapine).
According to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 80 to 90 percent of all cases can be treated effectively. However, two-thirds of the people suffering from depression don't get the help they need, according to NIMH. Many fail to identify their symptoms or attribute them to lack of sleep or a poor diet, the APA says, while others are just too fatigued or ashamed to seek help.
Left untreated, depression can result in years of needless pain for both the depressed person and his or her family. And depression costs the United States an estimated $43 billion a year, due in large part to absenteeism from work, lost productivity, and medical costs, according to the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association.
Diagnosing the Disease
Medical professionals generally base a diagnosis of depressive disorder on the presence of certain symptoms listed in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. The DSM (presently in the fourth edition) lists the following symptoms for depression:
* depressed mood
* loss of interest or pleasure in almost all activities
* changes in appetite or weight
* disturbed sleep
* slowed or restless movements
* fatigue, loss of energy
* feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
* trouble in thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
* recurrent thoughts of death or suicide.
The diagnosis depends on the number, severity and duration of these symptoms. Depression strikes about 17 million American adults each year--more than cancer, AIDS, or coronary heart disease--according to the Nat... more -
Anti-Suicide Music Video
A music video about the effects of teen suicide on the friends and family left behind. http://www.charlesdewandeler.com
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