Cat Puke

     Technically vomiting, colloquially known as puking, is described as the active evacuation of  stomach contents. It may be caused by disorders of the stomach but it can also be a clinical sign that can occur with many diseases or problems. It depends on the cause. 

     The characteristic hacking sound of a cat puking is familiar to all cat owners! Cats vomit occasionally from hairballs or mild stomach upset, but in some instances, vomiting may signal a serious medical problem. Treatment for vomiting will depend on the cause. 

     It used to be thought that some cats were just pukers, but chronic vomiting is a sign of an underlying problem. It’s normal for cats to puke up an occasional hairball, but vomiting that’s not hairball related is a sign of a medical problem. If your cat vomits multiple times in a day or if you notice an increase in the frequency of vomiting, it’s best to discuss the problem with a veterinarian. 

     Cat owners are familiar with hairballs, which are the result of the cat's ingesting large quantities of hair during normal grooming, but puke that includes blood, bile, mucus or partially digested food indicates a serious problem. 

     By the way, there is a difference between vomiting and regurgitation. Vomiting often lasts several minutes and the cat may look sick, drool, retch, display abdominal heaving, and finally vomit. Regurgitation happens quickly and often without warning. The cat is fine one minute, then suddenly pukes without retching or heaving. 

     The color of a cat’s vomit can vary depending on what the cat has eaten and that includes any non-food items, any dyes used in the food and a number of other factors. In any case, color is not a reliable way to diagnose the cause of the cat’s vomiting. 

 

Here are a few of the most common reasons why cats vomit: 

 

Hairballs 

Cats have rough tongues and when they lick themselves, they pull fur out of their coats which is then swallowed. Large volumes of hair can accumulate in the stomach and are not digested, leading the cat to vomit a hairball. Usually this is not serious, but hacking up a hairball frequently can be an early sign of a gastrointestinal problem.

Gastroenteritis 

e.g. an upset stomach, which can occur as a result of dietary indiscretion, toxins, or medication side effects, among other things. Some cases of gastroenteritis are mild and will resolve on their own, but others can be more serious. 

Foreign Bodies or Obstructions 

Cats have been known to eat things such as a toy, pieces of string, a hair tie or other foreign objects and doing so may cause blockage and damage to the GI tract that can lead to vomiting. This cause of vomiting is serious and requires immediate veterinary attention. 

Food Allergies and Inflammatory Bowel Disease 

Allergies are uncommon in cats, but they can lead to vomiting due to the inflammation of the digestive tract and some cats may also experience chronic diarrhea as a result of these conditions. 

Illnesses 

Chronic illnesses such as kidney disease, pancreatitis, and hyperthyroidism can all cause chronic vomiting. 

Parasites 

This cause of vomiting is more common in kittens, but can occur in cats of any age. Occasionally, live worms can be seen in the vomit. 

Cancer 

Cancers of the digestive tract are fairly common in cats and can cause vomiting. Cancers in other areas can also cause feelings of nausea, discomfort, and malaise which can also lead to vomiting. It’s normal for your cat to have the occasional hairball, but any change in the frequency, volume, or consistency of vomiting is a cause for concern.

 

    Also, vomiting is a cause for concern if it is accompanied by other symptoms such as: 

Loss of appetite 

Lethargy 

Fever 

Diarrhea 

Changes in litter box habits 

Other changes in health and behavior

Vought F4U Corsair

 

 

     The Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. 

     The Corsair was designed and operated as a carrier-based aircraft, and entered service in large numbers with the U.S. Navy in late 1944 and early 1945. It quickly became one of the most capable carrier-based fighter-bombers of World War II. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II. 

     Initial operation from carrier decks proved to be troublesome. Its low-speed handling was tricky due to the left wing stalling before the right wing. This factor, together with poor visibility over the long nose made landing a Corsair on a carrier a difficult task. For these reasons, most Corsairs initially went to Marine Corps squadrons which operated off land-based runways. 

     Its top speed was over 400 mph and a service seiling of 38,000 feet. The nickname "Whistling Death" was reportedly given to the F4U Corsair because of the destinctive sound that the aircraft made in flight.

Drink more Vaccinium macrocarpon!

     Vaccinium macrocarpon is a North American species of cranberry. Cranberry juice is a tart deep red drink that is commonly found in most grocery stores. Especially in its purest form cranberry juice is an amazing product. 

     Cranberries are regarded as a super food due to their antioxidant (substances that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals, unstable molecules that the body produces as a reaction to environmental and other pressures) and nutrient content. 

     Cranberries usually aren’t eaten raw because they have a sharp sour and bitter taste; they are most commonly consumed as sweetened juice or blended with other fruit juices. They can also be found in different forms: powder, sauce, extracts, dried and supplements. 

     Cranberries are small, red berries native to the United States and Canada that grow on creeping, low-lying vines, and do best in peat-based soil and damp conditions. They are closely related to blueberries, bilberries and huckleberries. The United States is the world’s largest producer of cranberries with the state of Wisconsin leading in production. 

     Cranberry juice has many health benefits. Some people drink it to help prevent urinary tract infections, but it offers several other health benefits. 

     In addition to antioxidants, cranberry juice offers small amounts of several vitamins and minerals, and it's an excellent source of vitamin C which plays many important roles. A powerful antioxidant, it helps stop free radicals from damaging cells and DNA in your body. This may help reduce the risk of developing various diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and more. Vitamin C also helps you heal after injuries, produce collagen, absorb iron, and boosts your immune system. 

     An 8 ounce glass of cranberry juice has approximately 20 percent of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin E, which is essential for the health of skin, blood vessels, and heart. 

     Other antioxidants are mainly found in the skins of fresh cranberries. Since cranberry juice doesn’t contain the skins it has lower concentrations of these antioxidants. 

     Studies show that various ingredients in cranberry juice may improve heart health. There is growing evidence that the phytochemicals contained in cranberries play an important role in digestive health. Some chemicals in cranberries may help fight viruses and bacteria.

     For women the risk of heart problems increases after menopause compared to the risk in all other groups of people of the same age. Researchers found that daily cranberry consumption reduced total cholesterol, suggesting cranberry products might be useful dietary supplements after the menopause. 

     Are there side effects? Just as grapefruit contains compounds that may interfere with how the body absorbs some drugs, including some blood pressure medicines, some research has found that cranberry juice may interact with certain medications. 

     Canberries may intensify the effects of a blood thinner called warfarin and preliminary research suggests the possibility of interactions between cranberries and cyclosporine, flurbiprofen diclofenac, amoxicillin, ceflacor, midazolam and tizanidine. 

     People taking these drugs should talk to a doctor before using cranberry juice.

 

Further reading: Cranberries 101

Bank Account Hackers

Here are ways hackers can gain access to your bank account: 

 

ATTACK 

     SIM Swapping - SMS authentication codes are a problem for hackers, but they have a way around them and they don't even need your phone! They contact your network provider, claiming to be you and claim they lost their phone and that they'd like a transfer of their old number (i.e. your current number) to their SIM card. The network provider deletes your phone number from your SIM and installs it on the hacker's SIM. Once they have your number on their SIM card, they can circumvent SMS codes and when they log into your bank account, the bank sends an SMS verification code to their phone. They can then log in to your account. 

DEFENSE 

     To perform a SIM swap, scammers have to get your personal information in order to pass the checks, so always keep your personal details personal. 

 

ATTACK 

     Phishing is one trick is hacking the email accounts of solicitors and sending phishing emails from a previously trusted address. That makes scams hard to spot!

DEFENSE 

     If an email address looks suspicious, treat it with great caution. If the address looks legitimate but something seems strange treat it as suspicious! 

 

ATTACK 

     Keyloggers are a type of malware that record what you're typing and sends the information back to the hacker. If you go to your bank's website and type in your username and password, the hacker has all the information they need to break into your account!

DEFENSE 

     Install a good Antivirus and make sure it checks your system frequently. A good antivirus will sniff out a keylogger and erase it before it can do damage. 

     If your bank supports two-factor authentication, be sure to enable it because the hacker won't be able to replicate the authentication code even if they get your login details. 

 

ATTACK 

     Sometimes, a hacker will target the communications between you and your bank's website by what is called Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks...the hacker intercepts communications between you and a legitimate service. 

     When you send your login details, the hackers sniff out your details and steal them. They use a "poisoned DNS cache" which means that your bank's website address is cloned and goes to a clone site owned by the hacker. This cloned site looks identical to the real thing. 

 

DEFENSE 

     Never perform any sensitive activities on a public or unsecured network. Use your home Wi-Fi and when you log into a sensitive site, always check for HTTPS in the address bar. If it's not there, there's a good chance you're looking at a fake site. 

     If you need to perform banking or other personal activities over a public Wi-Fi network use a VPN service that encrypts your data before it gets sent over the network. 

  

ATTACK 

     Mobile Banking Trojans - Tricking Users With Fake Banking Apps. Crooks spoof an existing banking app by creating a perfect replica of a bank's app and uploads it to third-party websites. Once you've downloaded the app and you enter your username and password they are sent to the hacker. 

     Then there are mobile banking Trojans which aren't disguised as a bank's app; the Trojan scans your phone for banking apps and when it detects one, the Trojan puts up a window that looks identical to the app you just booted up. Hopefully, the user won't notice the swap and will enter their details into the fake login page which are then sent to the hacker. 

 

DEFENSE: 

     Never install banking apps from third-party sites! Real bank apps should have a lot of downloads.When downloading apps from an app store, if it has a very low number of downloads and little to no reviews it could be malware so avoid it. Be careful what permissions you give any app. For example, If a mobile game asks for permission with no explanation as to why it wants them, don't do 

 

Further reading: 

How to Protect Yourself Against Hackers (from the Minnesota Attorney General's office) 

 

18 Ways to Secure Your Devices From Hackers (Business News Daily)

 

Federal Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz

Magistrate Karen Litkovitz

     A few days back I watched a television program about the descendants of Pablo Escobar's hippos that are thriving in the Colombian wild today. Escobar had a private zoo on his estate with zebras, giraffes and four hippopotamuses that he illegally imported in the 1980s. 

     Hippos are notorious in their native Africa as one of the most dangerous animals to humans, but so far there haven't been any deaths attributed to hippo attacks in Colombia. 

     Not counting humans, which animals kill the most humans every year? Occupying the top spot is mosquitoes...they kill 725,000 per year through spreading diseases. Next is snakes (138,000 per year), followed by man's best friend, dogs. They account for over 59,000 deaths per year. 

     Something called Assassin Bugs cause 10,000 per year year. They are a benefit to gardeners because they feed on a wide variety of prey including other bugs, bees, flies, and caterpillars. Prey is captured with a quick stab with the bug's s long mouth parts. After being immobilized by a paralyzing toxin, the prey’s body fluids are then drawn through the assassin bug’s straw-like mouth parts. 

     Assassin bugs like to bite humans, too. They like to bite humans on the face near the lips and eyes (hence they are sometimes known as Kissing Bugs). Their feces can also spread a parasite that causes Chagas disease, a disorder that does damage to major organs and can be fatal if left untreated. It's estimated that 10,000 people a year die from Chagas disease. 

     Next on the list are scorpions which kill 3,300 people per year. Crocodials kill 1,000 people a year and elephants 600. 

     Hippos are next, killing about 500 people per year and the lion, which is probably the most likely animal that we would think would be the number one killer of humans, is only number 10 on the list, accounting for 200 humans per year. But, I have digressed. 

     The hippos in Columbia have a special distinction aside from being descendants of those that belonged to Pablo Escobar.

     With a growing recognition around the world of the personhood and rights of non-human animals, last October Federal Magistrate Judge Karen Litkovitz of Cincinnati located in southern Ohio ruled that in courts in the United States Pablo Escobar's hippos can be legally recognized as people. Words to describe the lunacy of this decision escape me.

Lieutenant Sorrell Booke, Who Knew?

     The Dukes of Hazzard was an action-comedy (actually, silly is a better description) television series that was aired from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. 

     The show was consistently among the top-rated television series in the late 1970s (at one point, ranking second only to Dallas, which immediately followed the show on th Friday night schedule). 

     The show is about two young cousins, Bo and Luke Duke, who live in rural Georgia and were on probation for moonshine running. Their female cousin Daisy Duke, and other family (such as patriarch Uncle Jesse), have various escapades as they evade the corrupt law officers Boss Hogg and Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. They drove a customized 1969 Dodge Charger nicknamed the General Lee, which became a symbol of the show. 

     Jefferson Davis Hogg, known as Boss Hogg, was the greedy, unethical commissioner of Hazzard County and the county's political boss. A stereotypical villainous glutton, Boss Hogg almost always wore an all-white suit with a white cowboy hat and regularly smoked cigars. His namesake is Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America. 

     Boss Hogg was played by Sorrell Booke (January 4, 1930 – February 11, 1994, 64 years old), who performed frequently on radio, stage, television and film prior to his role in The Dukes of Hazzard.

     A humble, jovial, intelligent man, there was more to Brooke than the silly characters he portrayed on television. 

     Booke was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of a local physician. As a child, he entertained patients in his father's waiting room and began acting on radio at nine and was known for his impersonations. He won a radio contest for mimicking the voice of Adolf Hitler and appeared regularly as an actor on local radio stations.

     He attended Bennett High School and was valedictorian of the Class of 1946. Booke enrolled in Columbia University at 16 and performed in Shakespearean plays in the drama club. 

     He graduated from Columbia at 19 in 1949, and received a Master of Fine Arts at the Yale School of Drama. During that time he became fluent in five languages, including Japanese and Russian! 

     During his two years in the US Army during the Korean War, Lieutenant Sorrell Booke served as a counterintelligence officer where his linguistic skills were put to good use. 

     His actual efforts during the Korean War remain unknown, but generally counterintelligence efforts included debriefing returned and escaped American prisoners of war, observing terrain favorable to enemy and allied movements and keeping tabs on enemy intelligence efforts in Korea and Japan. 

     In 1960, after the military, Booke made his way to Hollywood, taking on several roles in film, including a roles in hit show MASH and Dukes of Hazard.

     Booke remained humble about his Army activities to the point that after he passed away of colorectal cancer in Sherman Oaks, California, many were astonished tast he had served in the Army in such a capacity. He is interred at the Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California