The Bus Stops Here... And There

I've always known that suicide leaves many victims in its aftermath. But for those who actually witness it? It's brutal.

_____

Some days I really think you ought to have to pass a licensing exam before you get to procreate. Today, this and this are definitely making today one of those days.

_____

This charmer took out his frustrations on my brother's neighborhood. Lovely. Another product of an exercise in creative parenting.

_____

All righty then. Too much downer stuff.

Ready for some good news?

Researchers in Australia have come up with an outwardly simple but incredibly ingenious way of curing blindness caused by corneal damage: Take everyday contact lenses, already used by millions (including me), and infuse them with a patient's own stem cells. After wearing them for about 2 weeks, test subjects reported a seemingly miraculous restoration of sight. Is it that easy?

I sure do wish this would work for people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration, as well. Time will tell...

_____

This is both sad and alarming:

Natalie's father had used syringes from a contaminated lot made in a factory owned by a Lake Zurich businessman. That batch and another have since been linked to four deaths and 162 illnesses nationwide, including 22 in Illinois.

Moreover, an examination of inspection reports and other documents shows that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration missed several chances to stop the tainted syringes from being used by patients.

If you or someone in your family uses catheter-flushing syringes, check the label, okay? If they're from AM2PAT, toss 'em right now.

_____

I've been skeptical of the benefits of Tweeting, but this site highlights the best of the worst, and ranks right up there with FML for shits and giggles.

_____

This left me speechless.

_____

Giggle of the Day:

see more dog and puppy pictures

_____

Twistie nails a particular gripe of mine:

That’s right: it’s all our fault that nobody wants to give us nice clothes because we don’t really want nice clothes. Never mind that retailers give us next to nothing to choose from; refuse to advertise what they deign to offer us; charge us a great deal extra for the privilege of wearing unattractive, poorly made clothes in fabrics that do not breathe; stop manufacturing clothing lines that have been in place for a mere three months when we didn’t stampede the store to buy ugly clothes we didn’t know were there in the first place. Nope, it’s our fault.

Here's the rub:

[T]he average American woman weighs 164 pounds and sports a size 14, according to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. How can fashion and retail abandon so many customers?

I'm at or near the average, and it's damned frustrating, because I have to do most of my clothes shopping online now. It's a bugger, because you can't tell fit or quality through an onlines catalog. Lots of places that do carry my size also carry stuff that is poorly constructed, ugly and unflattering. Ugh. And you just won't know until the package hits your doorstep whether you've got a hit or a miss. Grrrrrrrr. I hate this.

_____

Borrowed from Becky...

... because it suits my mood at the moment.