A collection of thoughts unbound and scrawlings in the life and times of Mr. Wordy

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

On Euthanasia



          First I will say I have limited experience with the subject of euthanasia as a practitioner. This essay will draw from my experiences outside the professional world. Euthanasia is performed for many reasons. At techs in small animal clinics we may be responsible for euthanizing sick animal and/or debilitated animals. As was Tumble’s case. Tumble was a 10-year old nurtured tabby whom I’ll always regard as my first pet. Tumble came to me by way of Boston Humane Society. A playful and curious bonded quickly. He lived with us for 8 years. Enjoying the freedom, a south Boston cat deserves with a warm bed to sleep in at night. He had always been an active and hungry cat which is why we noticed the sudden change in his demeanor. In the course of a week he grew increasing lethargic. Tumble, well known to never miss a meal, seemed far too tired to eat. A trip to the vet and a blood test later reveled Lymphoma. For Tumble treatment was not an option. I believe in the mercy of our choice. Although I had school, my dad later reflected that it was as if he drifted off to sleep. Disease can strike unexpectedly and tragically.  I’d like to say that for Tumble euthanasia was a gift. But perhaps it was more of a gift for me. In many ways I feel like Tumble had already moved on in those last weeks. In reflection, I prefer to remember Tumble as energetic and at peace than wasting and suffering. It is thanks to the practiced work of the veterinary staff that allowed Tumble to pass peacefully.
            Attitude on euthanasia often comes down to perspective. For Tumble it was mercy. For a hunter or farmer euthanasia is necessary to eat. Not only do the situations for euthanasia change our attitude concerning the procedure so does our attitude change when dealing with different species. I find myself much less sympathetic when it comes to rats/mice. This is because they are pest species. Both my cat and dog chase and bring in dead or dying mice they’ve caught in the yard. In research euthanasia is a must. I think in no small is the common attitude about rodent species being pest that have led to mice being the go-to lab animal. That and they reproduce quickly and often. In the basement of Case Western, the health and welfare of the entire lab animal population. To accomplish this most efficiently Case vet techs euthanize mice as part of their sentinel program. Through the sentinel mice, the health of the entire population can be assessed. This allows simple screening for treatable and preventable diseases. Although it does require euthanasia of sentinel mice. During my observation at Case, techs used a three-step method to euthanasia. First, the patient is anesthetized on isoflurane gas. Then the rodent is exposed to CO2 gas for no less than 5 minutes. Finally, the tech uses either a heartstick or cervical separation. This to ensure the animal is dead before dissection. Mice, especially rats, are fairly CO2 tolerant. So cervical separation is the preferred method. When performed correctly it is utterly quick and assumed painless. Before my time in Ohio, I lived in an apartment. The landlords were not keen to have dogs or cats but a pet rat was acceptable. Her name was Panchu. I remember when she got sick. Like Tumble, it wasn’t until she stopped eating that I took a visit to the vet. The vet assessed her with an infection of some sort. She recommended a course of antibiotic and high-calorie food. Panchu was debilitated enough to require hand feeding. I mixed her antibiotic and food ration in an oral syringe and nursed her for about a week. She never improved. Like Tumble in the end, Panchu was not the animal I had grown to know and love. After she loss function of her rear legs I knew there was no mercy in keeping her alive. My mom, experienced in handling lab animals recommended cervical separation. She even provided me a resource on the method. I couldn’t bring myself to do it. It involves quick, even violent action and the risks to Panchu if I executed her poorly were too great. I had already prolonged her suffering; I would not be responsible for harming her needlessly. I choose instead to use CO2. I evaporated some dry ice in a container before placing Panchu inside. She passed before I sealed the container. Afterwards I washed her body before burying her under an aster.   
            It’s odd to hold reverence for a rodent, perhaps. But it is because of this respect that I choose the method that I did. The procedure of euthanasia can be a gift. Death is inevitable. For production animals, pests, and pets, death may come too soon. Through proper administration, euthanasia can alleviate the pain of dying or shorten the suffering from a disease condition. For Diseases like rabies, FIV/FeLV and equine infectious anemia the gift of euthanasia is to protect the uninfected; to protect and prevent infection of healthy individuals. At the end of the day, we must remember that we, as techs, will be responsible for guiding these souls to the rainbow bridge. Through medical training and practiced skill, we can make this journey more peaceful for our patients.

Monday, July 29, 2013

Bacteria Beneath the Ice



            Imagine, if you will, an ancient lake vibrant with life. Trees and plants around the fertile waters grow to mammoth proportions. The environment is idyllic. However, as tectonic plates shift and the weather grows colder the lake, with its flora and fauna must now endure artic temperatures.  A glacier forms, sealing the lake from the outside world. Volcanic thermals leak heat and salt into the once tepid waters, keeping them liquid. For millennia the lake exists on, buried under ice, until 2012 when Russian researchers pieced the ice cap over the waters.
            Lake Vostok is a fresh water sub-glacial lake in Antarctica. It lies 2.2 miles beneath 20 million year old ice. The lake itself is believed to be a sealed environment and it is formed in proximity to geothermal activity. This geothermal activity has likely provided what little nutrients available in Lake Vostok.   Hoping to find life, researchers looked for nuclides sequences. Indeed, the DNA and RNA present in the samples included viral, bacterial and eukaryotic genetic material.  Sequencing of ice and water samples revealed not only the presence of bacteria in Lake Vostok but suggested the possibility of more complex, multicellular life forms. The research team found E.coli and members of Salmonella. The species found “often have symbiotic or parasitic relationships with their eukaryotic host, which include fish and annelids” (Buried Lake Vostok). The waters of Lake Vostok are “filled with a microscopic menagerie. Some needed oxygen-rich environments while others did well in oxygen-poor ones. Some liked extremely salty spots, some thrived in extremely cold places and some preferred the extreme heat. Some liked highly alkaline environments while others liked the opposite -- highly acidic ones.(Trapped in Antarctic ice) The extreme environmental pressures the critters of Lake Vostok face and the isolation from its planet’s environment is not unlike the conditions at the bottom of similar glaciers found on Mars and Jupiter’s Europa. Understanding the systems of that allow biota to thrive in isolation may will aid in our understanding of Genus and the terraformation of planets. Given the capacity of life on our own planet, Martian ice fishing doesn’t seem as improbable as it did a few minutes ago.
            When first tapped in March of 2012 the waters of Lake Vostok were said to contain previously undiscovered life. The revelation had to be redacted after it was discovered that the drilling procedure resulted in contamination. Given the diversity of life found in the second sample is mostly likely pure.  However, we should not discount the effects of contamination. Given the tenacity of bacterial spores and glacial movement the waters may have been inoculated after the formation of glaciers. The hope of finding a new life form in Lake Vostok is not without merit, the presence of host bacteria indicates a host. Multicellular critters or not new morphologies and mutation may exist among the biota. 
            Lake Vostok is one of 400 sub glacial lakes known to exist beneath the ice. Isolated lakes like these can be found beneath glaciers worldwide. They can also be considered fossilized aquifers, pockets of water trapped by the surrounding geology. It becomes important to understand the biological dangers the ancient biota may pose. Climate studies indicate rising global temperatures. Advances in drilling could relieve water shortages in arid climates. As fossil aquifers have the possibility to become exposed so do the biota they carry. Mutations shared between bacterial colonies have the potential to become pathogenic. While it is unlikely that the isolated Lake Vostok would become cite zero for a world-wide contagion, it is wise to always be mindful when handling such encounters. Contaminating one’s sample is not always the worst thing that can happen.
            Why is Lake Vostok important? The lake can help our understanding of ecosystems.  If fish are found to be present in the lake it will further our curiosity as to the limits of life; specifically where life can exist and the environmental mechanisms involved.   In 1991 an experiment took place in southern Arizona. Bio dome 2 is the site of an ecological laboratory. It is designed to house a virtually independent ecosystem from soil to planets to animals. While the facility provided and continues to provide excellent data, it’s a technical marvel. The discovery of natural biospheres seems to confirm the probability of microsystems. With study, we can improve our technology and efficiency of these systems. This becomes especially helpful in space travel or should our planet’s environment change rapidly.





 Works Cited

2.    Buried Lake Vostok May Support a thriving Ecosystem two miles beneath the surface http://www.geekosystem.com/vostok-may-support-life/
  
Further readings:
Sub glacial Lake Vostok (Antarctica) Accretion Ice Contains a Diverse Set of Sequences from Aquatic, Marine and Sediment-Inhabiting Bacteria and Eukarya

Friday, March 8, 2013

My little project

no new news on the observatory.
This time i wanted to post a bit of a project. I've since got the fabric cut and pinned however, i'm unsure as to how to continue. I'm thinking velcro...

I feel like Rarity working on Ponyville's newest fashion


I love the colour

Looking a little more complete ^_^
Remind you of anyone?

What to do about Pinkie's mane tho....?
Dewott helped by holding my pins. thanks, master samurai
I ran outa fabric ... maybe a noble Spaniel 




Thanks for reading!

Monday, March 4, 2013

Look to the stars

Monday March 4th, 2013

Since returning to Cleveland, I've found myself unemployed and under motivated to do much of anything. Despite this I've also fallen into a finical boon. As a result, I've been looking at investing. Specifically I wish to invest in the city of Cleveland by purchasing and renting out a multifamily building. Seems a simple enough dream and with housing values depressed (even the high-end estate in Cleveland and it's surrounding townships max out just short of one million $) it should be attainable. However i find each lot just outside my reach. between the Points of Sale requirements, burglaries and general repair estimates even a 9,000$ house becomes a 40,000$ investment. Undoubtedly, this is recoupable but I've yet to see something to truly inspire me. ....Until now






Meredeth M Grant, a dedicated realtor through Howard Hannah has patiently showed me mush of what the eastside has to offer. I suspect her patience is wearing thin. when at the end of our showing i remained intractable. Driving away, I happened across a brilliant building: the Warner and Swasey Observatory. Dedicated in 1920, the Warner and Swasey Observatory was once a part of Case Western and remained so until 1983 when the Case Western department of Astronomy sold the property in favor of a new location outside the city's light pollution.

It has since changed hands several times (more often than not into the sheriff's department). It's most recent investor was brought to bare against morgage fraud and now the deed lies with the City of East Cleveland.

Currently it's fallen into great disrepair. I believe with every fiber of my being that it must be revitalized. Perhaps not again as an observatory. Given infinite resources I would transform this property into a community driven learning center. However, my resources are quite limited. That said, I am turning to you, internet, for help. I wish to turn this building into working order and I don't know who or how to ask for help. I was thinking of speaking to the Natural Historic registry for a grant or there must exists entrepreneurial trusts for educational undertakings, yes? Please, if you read this and see the same glory lost, here leave a comment or check out this facebook page or simply email me.
Thank you for reading.

-mr. wordy

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Mister Fuzzybottoms goes to and then leaves from Omaha

Our first view of Omaha from the train (night fall disallowed pictures from the train). Omaha is a very large city. However, as large as it is, it feels very rural. Part of that is due to where we stayed. A quaint apartment complex on the north side of town.
We stopped by a local watering hole, Hereon Haven.
And viewed some urban art. 

Join us tomorrow when Mr. Fuzzybottoms celebrates Mardi Gras
The phone rings. I lift it to my ear.

 "hello." it was Marcus. his baritone voice falters in the phone. drunk. again, "hello?"

"hey."

a pause. long. I begin to speak, he cuts me off. "hey, sorry, am i bothering you?" I reply no. across the couch my cat, Mugen, stretches and turns on his belly. I reach a palm out to pet him. "Can i ask you something?" Marcus asks. Unusual, as he almost always inquires about me whenever he calls. Mugen trots over my lap. he pushes against my phone before jumping down. He did always like Marcus. I reply yeah.

"I wanted to know," he begins. "...i was wondering..." I can hear the ice rattle in the glass in his hand. "I get that we're no longer romantically involved. I understand that it never worked out. But that night... Valentines day. when i came over and we watched movies all night long." his voice cracks "I guess - I mean... don't you ever think about us? Like, when we were intimate? I mean, it was valentines' day. I was alone, you were alone, i just thought it would be natural." a pause. then more confidently, "I just need some closure. I like you, and you like me" it was true "we're not in love - least no more." also true. "wasn't i fun?  Am I not attractive? did we not enjoy each other once? I don't want to sound like a desperate x lover. And I tell myself over and over that we're done. that I don't want to be close to you. no offence. but, like, we're s'posed to be friends, right? just tell me that you don't lay awake at night on occasion and think of me carnally. that you don't even like me that i'm weird and awkward and a silly boy with too little pride and not enough ..." the flick of a light and a hiss of a cigarette. I can almost taste the buttery ash on his breath. "or tell me that you do still feel for me. in some small way. That your heart was torn. That we were too different. two different people. tell me something!"

I don't know what to say. I can't even think. "I..."

"Nevermind. I don't want to know." he exhales, "I think... I think if i didn't know then, I don't want to know now. it... perhaps its better this way. sorry to bother you." then "I hope you are well."

I wish I could say something. I wish I would. perhaps it's better this way. perhaps it's better this way.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Mister Fuzzybottoms Rides the Train


More like Mr Fuzzybottoms waits ...forever! You know, I like riding trains, I really do. However, the inordinate amount of time spent simply waiting... waiting... waiting is too much. Here we are waiting at the platform in Cleveland.
"Attention, 49 Lakeshore Limited is now arriving from New York." At long last the old engine drags itself into the station. It's sleek deisel hum is far removed from my romanced notions - no great steel beast belching steam to carry us along. Seated and stowed we sit in the dark morning. The warmth of cabin is welcome relief from the windy Cleveland night. A conductor collects our tickets.Outside the City of Rock stands quietly. Soon both were memories. 
A brief stop in Toledo
 Amtrak: breakfast on rail
 Pictured here, Chicago platform #20. 49 Lakeshore Limited Arriving on time. Thanks for the miles!
Chicago's grand Union Station! It is an amalgam of pre-war design and modernization through the ages. Yet still it retained the artistry so ingrained in American buildings. I've never been to New York's Grand Central. If ever there was a comparison, i suppose that wood be it. Union Station is an ingeniously designed hub. commuter rails on the northside platforms and long distance rail transit on the other. A mecca of buses and cabs roam the streets over head. Not much time in the breath-taking underworks. lanes of concrete docks running parallel to the tracks. Empty. if not for the crowds of passengers and marked periodically by columns rising like cement trees. we shuffled, stiff legged between heavy breathing beast. the hiss of pneumatics and the hum of diesel engines.
 We camped at this bar, Snuggery, while we waited... waited... waited. I'll say this, Chicago has it all over Cleveland on train platforms!

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