Spammers

     I delete spam comments regularly on this blog and today I deleted comment spam written Arabic that referred readers to automatic door systems.  Comment spam is bad news for legitimate blogs and they range from nonsensical to great praise for a post and they are nearly always unrelated to the content of the post. 
     Spam in blogs is, apparently, quite common. The idea of the spammer is to artificially increase another site's search engine ranking and often results in the spammer's commercial site being listed ahead of other sites for certain searches, increasing the number of potential visitors and paying customers. 
     According to Wikipedia is the phrase "nice article" and people commenting that they are bookmarking my blog. I get a lot. Comment spam is an annoying, but in a way I suppose it's also a good sign. As a blog grows spam becomes an issue and I delete spam almost daily even though this blog is samll potatoes, getting around 4000 hits a month. 
     First, I don't want this Blog having anything that could lead to something harmful to its readers, like picking up a virus, malware, spyware, etc. Secondly, I don't want trust in my blog to take a hit. Thirdly, with Google, a single dubious link can result in punishment...like ranking lower on search engine results. 
     Did you know there are actually professional spammers and it's a real industry? A lot of spam doesn’t look “professional,” but that's part of the strategy they use. There used to be two real (I won't say legitimate) companies that would send out spam emails attempting to sell prescription drugs. When someone would make a purchase through one of the emails, the spam company would be paid about a 30 percent commission on the price of the prescription drugs bought. One professional spammer claimed he made over $330,000 in a year just sitting at his computer sending out spam e-mails. 

The world's top countries for spammers are: 
1-United States 
2-China 
3-Russian Federation 
4-Ukraine 
5-Japan 
6-Hong Kong 
7-Brazil 
8-United Kingdom 
9-Turkey 
10-India 

     Spammers are smart people. They have to be to stay one step ahead new technology and writing material that will entice people to bite. They do research on colors, subject lines, copy length and even personal preferences. 
     They are experts in the field of marketing.  As mentioned above, their motivation is to profit, directly or indirectly, by driving traffic to their site. But, there is also another motivation...a successful spammer can build a database of people that have taken their bait and that in itself is valuable information. The information they collect tells them who we are, where we live, when we respond, and which devices and operating systems we use. 

Confessions of a Professional Spammer  
Why Do Spammers Spam? 
Forum Spamming

Cataract Surgery

     Cataracts are the leading worldwide cause of vision impairment and blindness and are common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. 
     A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye but for the retina to get a sharp image, the lens must be clear, otherwise vision becomes blurry. 
     With aging and exposure to ultraviolet light, the protein fibers of the lens become oxidized and clump together. which causes the lens to become increasingly cloudy. The lens has no nerves or blood vessels and is dependent on the liquid around it, the aqueous humor, to get nutrients and remove waste products. This fluid is connected to a vascular network and contains very high levels of certain antioxidants that help nourish the lens as well as absorbing and detoxifying harmful substances. Lack of these antioxidants can cause cataracts to occur more frequently. 
     Medical professionals claim surgery as the only option for treating cataracts while some advocate that there are natural remedies, there are no reliable scientific studies to verify the claim. However, three of the most effective substances for maintaining good eye health are alpha lipoic acid, phytonutrients and lutein. In the US many eye doctors recommend their patients take PreserVision AREDS 2 Formula. 
     If there are cataracts in both eyes the surgeries are usually performed several weeks apart. The longer a cataract develops, the more it hardens and in advanced stages, a more developed cataract can be difficult to remove so it's usually safer to remove a cataract sooner rather than later; in most cases. However, an individual should not undergo surgery unless they are experiencing blurred vision caused by the cataract. If cataracts are allowed to develop for long periods of time, they can cause inflammation or increased intraocular (within the eye) pressure that can lead to glaucoma. In this situation it is extremely important to remove the cataract to prevent loss of vision from the resultant inflammation or glaucoma. 
     Prior to surgery several measurements of the eye will be taken to determine the lens prescription. As far as the patient is concerned this is a rather benign procedure. 
     Two very small incisions (one about one-tenth of an inch and one about one thirty-second of an inch) are made in the cornea and a viscous material is injected into the front part of the eye to help maintain its shape during surgery. 
     The surgeon then creates an opening in the sac that holds the lens in place and the lens is separated from the lens capsule using a balanced salt solution. Then an ultrasound probe is used to break the lens into small pieces and suck it out of the eye. 
     After the lens is removed, additional viscous material is injected into the lens capsule to hold it open and make room for the new artificial lens. The folded artificial lens is inserted into the capsule where it unfolds and the viscous material that maintained the shape of the eye during surgery is removed. The two incisions usually self-seal and do not require stitches. 
     The actual surgery takes about 15-20 minutes. First, the patient lies on a table and the eye is flushed with several washes and drops. An IV tube is placed in the back of the hand and just prior to surgery the patient gets a slug of anesthetic which takes effect in a very short period. The after surgery one wakes up, gets dressed and is treated to a cup of coffee or orange juice and graham crackers then goes home. 
     Most patients see very well the day after surgery. During the first week the patient must keep the eye covered with an eye shield when napping or sleeping. It is also recommended that the patient refrain from bending with the head below the waist, lifting more than 10 pounds and antibiotic and anti-inflammatory eye drops are used in the weeks after surgery to help prevent infection and control inflammation.
     The only side effects can be a scratchy and itching eye for a couple of weeks and an increase in the amount of eye floaters. Over a period of time they may becomes less noticeable, but likely will never go away entirely. But, the floaters were probably present before surgery but not noticeable; after surgery the increased light entering the eye makes them more noticeable. 
     When it comes to lens, there are several choices. Both eyes will have near vision and glasses will be required for distance vision. Both eyes will have distance vision and reading glasses (the cheap drug store variety usually work fine) will be required. Note that if you have astigmatism obtaining perfect 20/20 vision is not likely, but it should be very close.
     There are two other options, but careful thought should be given before selecting one of them. First, one eye has a lens for near vision and one eye has a lens for distant vision. This means that no matter what the activity, vision in one eye will be blurred. But, like in Lasik surgery, over a period of time the brain adjusts and the blurred vision is lest noticeable. If one is unable to adapt to this, the only options are 1) another surgery to replace on of the lenses, 2) Lasik surgery to "correct" the vision in one of the eyes, and 3) glasses. 
     The other option, which insurance normally does not cover and costs around $1,500 per eye, is an "adjustable" lens where the lens is actually attached to the eye muscles. This surgery takes longer, perhaps an hour and a half. I know of two people who had this type of surgery and in both cases their vision was excellent for 4-6 weeks, but then they noticed the vision in on eye becoming blurred because the lens had "settled in" slightly crooked. As a result, a second surgery was required to correct the situation. 
     My own cataract surgery, which was performed back in March-April, resulted in 20/20 vision with glasses required only for reading...and eating. I don't like my food looking blurry because a while back while in a restaurant I ate a hair that was in my food because I didn't see it. Hence, the glasses go on when eating.

Office Software Made Simple

     While looking for GIF animator, I discovered the SSuite Office site which proclaims itself to be the foremost provider of free quality office software on the internet today. They say, "We are there for anyone that needs excellent and professional free software that actually works without any hassles. Even the first time computer-user as well as the more experienced computer-user can find the best free software applications here with us." They may be right.
     The animation program I was looking for turned out to be exactly what I wanted, simple and easy to use with no learning curve. And that is exactly what they advertise... all of the interfaces are much more user-friendly and colorful than other office software, making it much more visually intuitive. 
     All their software is licensed as freeware.  There are no trial versions, subscription fees and no registration is necessary. Their software contains no third-party add-ons, toolbars, installers, or software distributions. 
     All their software applications and office suites are certified green because they do not use any system resources. These office suites are suitable for desktop computers, laptops, ultrabooks and Surface Pro Tablets, or just old and crappy computers. 
     Available downloads include very easy to use word processors, spreadsheets, databases, communication programs, utility programs like file shredders, personal information managers, label printers, and many more, security tools, financial tools, CD audio ripper and many other programs you may find handy. Five stars! Visit the SITE.

Buying Glasses Online

     Cataract surgery a few months ago all but eliminated my need for glasses except for reading and those cheap drug store readers work just fine. And, when I bought glasses in the past, they were very cheap thanks to having good insurance. But what if you don't have good insurance? I was appalled when a neighbor informed me that his wife's new glasses cost over $600 and their Medicare only paid about 10 percent of the cost. What about buying them online, often at a 70 percent discount? 
      Buying glasses online from a leading eyeglass supplier will give you the same options, frames and progressive, bifocal, multifocal, and transition lenses. Many online companies offer a virtual eyeglass fitting section where consumers are able to try on different frames by uploading their photo off the computer. Some sites even offer a virtual instructor that help with selecting frames. 
      Online eyeglass providers usually have a big selection of frames, but the really important issue is the lens. You have to decide what lens material and coatings you want...polycarbonate, high-index or regular plastic lenses....ultraviolet light filtering lens...anti-reflective coating...photochromic lenses.
      If you're comfortable making these decisions yourself, there's no problem. However, you need to consider that glasses are custom-made because everybody's head and eyes are different which requires that an optician take various measurements for a proper fit. 
     The optical center of the lens is the part that gives you the truest vision and it should be directly in front of your pupils. This means that the optical center is customized for your eyes and the lab needs to know the distance between your pupils. 
     You really cannot accurately measure the distance between you pupils (pupillary distance or PD as it's called) yourself. Most online dealers offer several ways to do this yourself, but don't count on it being exact! If the PD is wrong, or out of tolerance, you won’t be able to focus your eyes properly. You can ask the eye doctor for the PD, but they are often reluctant to give it because it's a tip off that you are probably going to their competition, online retailers. See the 20/20 article The Power and Politics of the PD HERE.
     Of course, fit is also important. Frames that are too large are uncomfortable and can slip. Too small they will be uncomfortable, pinch the sides of your head and leave red marks on your temples. They also can cause discomfort behind your ears or on your nose. Also, the prescription strength and weight of the lenses play into whether glasses will be comfortable and look good. Bifocals and progressive lenses present additional challenges because fitting multifocal lenses is a delicate process and extra measurements must be taken. 
     Many online sites don't offer bifocals and progressive lenses. Multifocal lenses also come in many different styles. Determining which one is right for you often requires an in-depth discussion with a knowledgeable dispenser or doctor. Even if you already wear bifocals, if you are limited to just certain lenses on a website, you might not be able to determine if you're getting the optimal lens for your visual needs 
     It's a good idea to pay careful attention to web-based optical sites return policies, too. 
     A study published by the medical journal Optometry: Journal of the American Optometric Association reported that almost half of prescription eyeglasses purchased online either failed safety standards or fell below prescription specifications. Some of their findings showed that over one in five pairs of glasses was incorrect upon delivery, 28.6 percent of online glasses had at least one lens that contained the wrong prescription, and 22.7 percent of one or both lenses failed the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations impact-resistance regulation. 
     A 2012 study out of the School of Optometry of the Université de Montréal examined 16 frames and 32 lenses that were purchased from online glasses retailers and they found that six of the lenses did not match the prescription and 13 of the 16 frames did not receive a passing grade in terms of fit. 
     Like most everything else lower cost can mean cheaper quality and high expectations can't be associated with a $39 price tag.

Cowboys

These fellers ain't REAL cowboys!

     They were glorified in thousands of novels and motion pictures...the American cowboy in the days of the Wild West. 
     By definition a cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend. There are also cowboys in many other parts of the world, particularly South America and Australia, who perform similar work. 

This is a REAL cowboy.

     The cowboy of myth and reality had his beginnings in Texas. There, cattle grew wild with few natural enemies. It wasn't until after by the end of the Civil War that the cowboy entered his twenty-year golden age, 1866-1886, the era of the open range and the great cattle drives.
     Cattle drives required a man to be a great horseman and accept the fact that he was embarking on a dangerous journey. Driving a thousand to two thousand cattle hundreds of miles to market while facing the vagaries of weather, stampedes, rattlesnakes, and outlaws, sleeping under the stars and facing many other dangers was not for the faint of heart. 
     The summer of 1886 was a dry one and the winter of 1886-1887 was terrible. They destroyed what remained of the original cattle industry and the open range ended. Fences went up and ranchers took to buying cattle designed to improve the stock. The result was cowboys were often reduced to riding a hay rake, mending fences, and applying medicines to sick cattle. No more herding cattle up the trails to Abilene or Dodge. 
     One little know fact is, it's estimated that of the men who worked the great cattle drives originating in the Southwest in the late 1800s, at least one-fourth of them were black. Many were born into slavery but later found a better life on the open range where they experienced less open discrimination. 
     After the Civil War many were employed as horse breakers, but few ever became foremen or managers. Some black cowboys became rodeo performers or were hired as federal peace officers in Indian Territory. Others owned their own farms and ranches while a few became gunfighters and outlaws. A number of them achieved considerable fame. 
     Men like Bose Ikard, a top hand and drover for rancher Charles Goodnight, also served as Goodnight's chief detective and banker. 
     Then there was Daniel W. "80 John" Wallace who started cow-punching as a teenager and saved enough money to purchase a ranch where he acquired more than 1,200 acres and 500 to 600 cattle. He was a member of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association for more than thirty years. 
     William Pickett was one of the most outstanding Wild West rodeo performers in the country and is credited with originating the modern event known as bulldogging. He was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1971. 
    Known as “the most noted Negro cowboy that ever topped off a horse,” Addison Jones was known for his skill at breaking (topping off) untamed wild broncos. 

Stagecoach Mary

     Mary Fields, born a slave in Tennessee and known as Stagecoach Mary, gained her freedom after the Civil War. Fields who stood six feet tall and weighed 200 pounds was said to be a match for any man and enjoyed brawling and bragged that she could knock any man out with a single punch. Newspapers of the time claimed that she broke more noses than anyone else in central Montana and she always backed herself up with a six-shooter holstered under her apron. She liked to drink, smoked homemade cigars and was so respected in Cascade, Montana that her birthday was made a school holiday every year. 
     She had moved to Cascade in 1885 to work for, of all people, the nuns of St. Peter’s Convent. She did all the heavy work there and one of her most famous deeds of derring-do came when wolves attacked her supply wagon one night. The horses were spooked and the wagon overturned, but she stood guard until morning, keeping the wolves at bay with her revolver. 

Mary's sixshooter

     She was forced to resign after Montana’s first Catholic bishop heard of her brawling and a rumored gunfight. Shortly afterward, she hitched a team of horses faster than any other applicant and was hired to deliver mail to the towns around Cascade, braving blizzards and the harsh terrain in the process. She was 60 at the time and only the second woman ever hired by the US Postal Service. 
     She loved baseball and babysat for most of the children in town, which included the future actor Gary Cooper. After retiring she tried opened a restaurant, but went broke because she let too many needy people eat for free. When her house burned down in 1912, the whole town came together to build her a new one. A 1910 contract to lease a hotel in town included a clause stipulating that Mary could always eat for free. She was also the only woman allowed to drink in the local saloon. She passed away of liver failure in 1914. 
     Charlie Willis was born a slave in Austin, Texas, in 1847 and became known across Texas as a bronco buster and cattle drover as well as a talented songwriter. Old Paint was supposedly the name of his horse when he rode the Chisholm trail and he wrote the the song Goodbye Old Paint. 
     In the years after the Civil War, the Indian Territory of modern Oklahoma had a reputation as the most lawless place in the country. When "Hanging Judge" Isaac C. Parker arrived in 1875 to bring order he commissioned Bass Reeves, a former slave, as a lawman.
     Reeves become one the finest lawman in the history of the West. Born in Arkansas, Reeves fled to Oklahoma after beating up his owner during a card game. As a Deputy US Marshal, he had excellent relationships with the local Indian tribes who helped him avoid the many outlaws who threatened to kill any lawman brazen enough to show up in the territory. Reeves captured over 3,000 criminals and killed more than a dozen in 27 years as a marshal. Included in the count was his own son whom he tracked down and arrested. Reeves' son was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife. 
     Like their white counterparts, it was the outlaws that were better known. Isom Dart might have been a cattle rustler, or he might have been only a rancher; nobody knows for sure. He had the misfortune to run into Pinkerton Detective Tom Horn who had the reputation of being one of the most ruthless hired killers in the West. 

Tom Horn

     On October 4, 1900 Dart was bushwhacked when he stepped out of his cabin in Brown’s Hole, Colorado. The large ranchers in the area had hired Horn, who went undercover on one of the big cattleman's ranch, to investigate rustling in the area. Shortly after that anonymous letters soon appeared warning Dart and another fellow, both of whom Horn suspected to be guilty, to leave town or face the consequences. The other guy was found shot to death in his cabin a few months before Dart was murdered. Nobody was prosecuted over the murders but Horn was suspected. Horn got his comeuppance when he was executed in 1903 for the murder of a 14-year-old boy. 
     An early enemy of segregation was a black outlaw named John “The Texas Kid” Hayes. When he spotted a Whites Only sign on a saloon he would enter and ask for a drink. If the bartender refused, he rode his horse into the bar and shot up the place then skedaddled.
     Crawford "Cherokee Bill" Goldsby was as ruthless as Jesse James or Billy the Kid. The son of a Cherokee mother and an African-American Buffalo Soldier, Cherokee Bill committed his first murder at the age of 12 when he shot his brother-in-law during an argument over chores. 
     After fleeing to Indian Territory and living a life of crime he was finally caught and taken before Judge Parker who sentenced him to death, but a friend smuggled him a pistol and he tried to escape. A gun battle soon turned into a standoff and prison guards persuaded another prisoner to negotiate Goldsby’s surrender. After Cherokee Bill surrendered the other prisoner was released and no time was wasted hanging old Bill. His last words were, “This is about as good a day to die as any.”

Wings 3D

     If you want to make 3D models for any reason then this is a really good free and open source 3D modeling tool for beginners that's both and fast to learn. It's powerful and easy to use and works on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, using the Erlang environment. You can use it to model and add texture low to mid-range polygon models, but note that it does not support animations.  Visit site to download HERE.
     The interface is simple and it has a comprehensive set of mesh modeling and selection tools: Move, Scale, Rotate, Extrude, Bevel, Bridge, Cut, and Weld, Sweep, Plane Cut, Circularise, Intersect, Bend, Shear, and Inset, Magnets and Magnet Masking Mirror for symmetrical modeling, Tweak and Sculpt.
     For additional information on the program visit the Mental Arcade site HERE.

Lake Erie

     Lake Erie was named by the Erie tribe of Native Americans who lived along its southern shore and is the fourth-largest lake (by surface area) of the five Great Lakes in North America and the thirteenth-largest globally, measured in terms of surface area. It is the southernmost, shallowest and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes. Average depth at the western end is 24 feet, 60 feet in the center and 80 feet at the eastern end. At its deepest point it is 210 feet. Lake Erie is the warmest of all of the Great Lakes, but it also freezes over more than the other lakes.  It is known for its unpredictable and sometimes violently dangerous nature.
     The Northern shore is bounded by the Canadian province of Ontario, with the U.S. states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York on its southern and easternmost shores and Michigan on the west. Major cities along the Lake Erie include Buffalo; Erie, Pennsylvania; Toledo, Ohio; Port Stanley, Ontario; Monroe, Michigan; Sandusky, Ohio; and Cleveland, Ohio. 

Lake Erie shoreline

     The majority of Lake Erie’s water flows in through the Detroit River from lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron as well as tributaries such as the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair. Its main outlet is Niagara Falls. 
     Invasive species like zebra mussels prospered first in the shallow water in the western basin of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair and outbreak of fish flu began in Maumee Bay in the western basin. Lake Erie was said to have died in the 1970’s highlighted by the Cuyahoga River catching fire in Cleveland, Ohio, but has since made a comeback. 
     The lake has more consumable fish than all the other Great Lakes combined. Its shoreline is a major source of many minerals. The largest sandstone quarry in the world is located in Amherst, Ohio. Salt mines in Cuyahoga and Lake Counties extend out under Lake Erie. Sand, gypsum, and limestone used for construction purposes are found in abundance. Large reserves of natural gas are also located under the lake. 
     It is the only Great Lake that is entirely above sea level (the bottom of the other Great Lakes extend below sea level).
     Lake Erie provides drinking water to over 11 million people. At the same time it is estimated that over eight billion gallons of sewage were dumped into the lake, the equivalent of 2 billion toilet flushes. In 2004 the monitored beaches along the shoreline failed to meet criteria for recreation on 16% of the assessed days and health advisories or warnings were issued for 271 days in 2004. In 2004 sewer systems attempted to treat rainwater and sewage but during moderate to heavy rainfall the combined systems take in more wastewater than the treatment plants can handle. When this happens sewage either gets backed up or is diverted directly into a local waterway. 
     Under the surface of Lake Erie lies a rich history of mystery and maritime tales found in its shipwrecks.   Storms on the Great Lakes      Lake Erie Shipwrecks    An Abnormal Wave in Lake Erie in 1895 (see pages 653-660)

Waterspout on Lake Erie

    One impressive phenomenon seen on the lake is the waterspout.  Although they're beautiful to witness, they can be dangerous to those on the water. There are two kinds: fair weather waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts. 
     Tornadic waterspouts form over water or they move from land to water and they are dangerous because they share the same characteristics as land tornadoes because they are associated with severe thunderstorms. 
     Fair weather waterspouts form along the dark, flat bases of cumulus clouds and are not associated with thunderstorms at all. They typically form under light winds, so they don't move much. These types of waterspouts fall apart pretty quickly when they make contact with land and they rarely go far inland. 
     Cold air funnels develop under similar conditions and come to life in the wake of cold fronts where atmospheric instability and moisture is sufficient to produce towering cumulus clouds but minimal precipitation. Like fair weather waterspouts, they are not typically associated with thunderstorms and they form on the bottom of clouds. There have been reports of cold air funnels touching down and causing damage, but they're usually harmless. Tornado Warnings are very rarely issued for these.

Don't Hold Your Pee!

     The kidneys have a number of important functions one of which includes regulating blood pressure. Taiwanese researchers studied 40 people with early heart disease found that the stress of having a full bladder increases the heart rate by an average of 9 beats per minute. When your bladder expands, it increases activity in the sympathetic nervous system which may cause coronary vessels to constrict, increasing the heart rate which might boost the risk of heart-attack. 
     Sometimes in an attempt to curb the frequent bathroom trips, one might try to hold their pee, but it's a bad idea. Ignoring that distended bladder can do some serious damage. 
     One former Army doctor told the story of a soldier who had gotten drunk and passed out the night before and his bladder was holding the equivalent of about three bottles of wine and it became over distended. The result? After that, he was never able to urinate normally again and had to use a catheter four to six times a day. 
     That's an extreme case and it's not likely that holding your pee for an hour or two will lead to permanent damage like that, but the body’s urge to pee for long periods of time can cause bladder problems. For example, long-term urinary tract symptoms like frequent and painful urination could develop. 
     That said, mad dashes to urinate multiple times a day could indicate a more serious health problem. Peeing 2 to 3 times a night can be a red flag since most people can get through the night without a head call. 
     When your bladder fills up nerve signals are sent to the brain saying you need to take a leak. But if you have an overactive bladder those signals fire even when you’re low on urine. Doctors aren’t sure what causes an overactive bladder and it's nit really serious, but it can be annoying. One in six Americans suffer from this condition, but as you get older, your risk increases. 
     Other potential causes of frequent urination include diabetes, urinary tract infections, and an enlarged prostate. The old prostate pushes on the urethra which makes the bladder work harder to push the urine out. This extra activity inflames the nerves and can cause a weak flow, which prevents the complete emptying of the bladder which in turn makes frequent bathroom trips more likely. 
     If one is peeing frequently, but the flow is not much more than a dribble, it could be an enlarged prostate or it could be something called a stricture, which is a buildup of scar tissue in the urethra. A stricture is painful and can cause urinary retention. Left untreated, it can result in kidney damage, so surgical treatment is often recommended. 
     Of course, frequent trips to the can could also be the result of nothing more than the result of drinking diuretics like caffeinated tea, coffee, or alcohol or Gatorade. Drinking these beverages too late at night can also cause waking to pee at night. Anxiety can also spark the need to pee, even if you just peed a little bit ago. 
     If frequent trips are starting to seriously impact your day, see a doctor to discover the cause. They will likely do a blood test to check for any medical conditions, like diabetes and check for an infection. Be prepared to suffer through a rectal exam to check for an enlarged prostate. These aren't a lot of fun, but remember, they aren't the highlight of the doctor's day either. They will also probably do an ultrasound to check for urinary retention. Treatment depends on the problem: antibiotics, pelvic exercises or medication. 

See article on Science Alert

Hostess Powdered Mini-donuts

     Sunday my wife purchased a bag of Hostess mini-donuts coated with powdered sugar and when I popped one in my mouth I immediately spit it out because it had a strong metallic taste that even Listerine wouldn't get rid of.
     Powdered sugar, also called confectioner's sugar, is a finely ground sugar made by milling granulated sugar into a powdered state. It also contains a small (3-5 percent) amount of anti-caking agent—usually cornstarch in North America or tricalcium phosphate in other regions—to prevent clumping and improve flow. It is available in different degrees of fineness, most commonly XXX, XXXX, and 10X, with more Xs indicating finer grains. 
     In industrial food production it is used where a quick dissolving sugar is required.  Domestically, it is principally used to make icing or frosting and other cake decorations. It is often lightly dusted onto baked goods to add a light sweetness and subtle decoration.
     While cane sugar has an indefinite shelf life the addition of corn starch can result in the corn starch oxidizing which can add a metallic or soapy taste to the powdered sugar.  Powdered sugar is also susceptible to absorbing odors if not stored properly sealed. Thus, it is generally a good idea to purchase powdered sugar only in a quantity that you expect to use and throw away any unused portion. 
     Back in 2013 Hostess launched "the sweetest comeback in the history of ever" and about a  year later their white powdered Donettes generated consumer complaints who said when they opened the Donettes they were moldy and smelled like chemicals. Hostess did nothing about the problem and continued to keep the product on the shelf. A Hostess spokesperson acknowledged they had received complaints of the smell and taste but denied the donuts were harmful. 
     Three years later and this problem appears to be ongoing so it's a good idea to avoid this product.

Cincinnati, Ohio's Train to Nowhere

     How Cincinnati tried, and failed, to build one of America’s first subway's article in The Verge. 
      Abandoned tunnels are often the object of urban legend, but Cincinnati is the site of the country's largest abandoned subway tunnel.  
     The Cincinnati Subway is a set of incomplete, derelict tunnels and stations for a rapid transit system beneath the streets of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is recognized as the largest abandoned subway tunnel in the United States. It was built in the early twentieth century as an upgrade to the Cincinnati streetcar system, but was abandoned due to escalating costs, the collapse of funding amidst political bickering, and the Great Depression during the 1920s and 1930s. In 1928, the construction of the subway system in Cincinnati was indefinitely canceled.