A mathematics book written by a non-mathematician (a surgeon by trade) with a real passion for the topic. An impressive tome (better than 1,000 pages and heavy enough to brain a sewer rat) it is printed in a double galley format with wide margins (Fermat would have loved it), making it easy to read. I find it an enjoyable reference book, easy to pick a chapter for a good read. And if you get confused by a topic, just go back a few chapters.
It's definitely NOT an urban legend! A Washington, DC police officer, assigned to the bicycle patrol, died from this condition this last summer while on the training course. It was later revealed that he had drunk 3 gallons of water before the training run and an additional 3 gallons during and after the training run! No one new he had drunk the 1st 3 gallons and the rest was consumed from a 'camel pack' over a longer period of time. Granted, it was a stretch of very hot, muggy DC weather and the officer, concerned about dehydration under these conditions, was not aware of the potential risk
The problem, as the Washington Post described it, was not just a gradual dilution of electrolytes, but a sudden crash in electrolyte levels when a critical point of over-hydration is reached. The symptoms: headache, blurry vision, nausea, vomiting, convulsion can, to someone not familiar with the person's water intake, resemble a heat-related disorder, such as heat exhaustion. Therefore, an unknowing observer may drag this poor sole into the shade and give him 'even more water!'
In the case of the DC officer, no one knew of his prior hydration and drinking from a camel pack is not entirely obvious. Had they known of these issues, the tragic result may have been avoided. They have since modified their training and operating routines accordingly.
AH HA! It is all suddenly very clear ...
on
Drink Decaf and Die
·
· Score: 1
'confinement' causes cancer in rats! Take a free, roaming, independent rat and shove him into a container, give him meaningless tasks and... oh wait, that sounds like my job - hmmm.
Perhaps if the rats were kept in open, self-governing colonies and were given the 'choice' to cooperate with research studies... oh wait, that sound like my government - hmmm.
Maybe if... yep, you're right. We're pretty much screwed.
Although I admit I am no fan of Mr. Gates or his core business, I have to give him a nod on this one. In addition to malaria, his foundation is also funding research for a vaccine to hookworm, another tropical disease that is rampant in developing nations. Like malaria, it is easily contracted (directly through the sole of the foot), affects the poorest of the poor, and undermines the physical and mental development of children. It can be more effectively treated post-infection than malaria, but there is no current medication to prevent infection. There is no possible profit to be made by pharmaceutical companies because these people are - well - literally dirt poor (they can't even afford the most effective deterrent - shoes). And (check me if I'm wrong guys) I don't think DDT will kill it - unless you sew it into the soil or pour it down the throat of the victim. The only hope these people have for a somewhat healthier life is basic research supported by foundation grants.
Even as I post this from a M$ OS (not my choice because it's not my machine), I am a long time M$ skeptic, critic, and occasional basher (remember those heady days of DOS), as well as a Linux devotee and advocate. I quite often seethe with both anger and despair over the business antics of M$. But I find I have to hold my tongue when it comes to the Gates foundation. Subtle PR manipulation? Maybe. Only a small portion of an overall 5% of the foundation's endowment? Perhaps, but at least it's something.
"Fortune may favor the Bold, but Evolution favors the Winner."
Slashdot Mirror
Damn! I KNEW that it sounded too good. Maybe coyotes, hmmm ...
"Gateway to L5!"
"Next stop - LEO!"
"Jack-a-lopes in Space!"
"Orbital Armadillos!"
"Live Free or, well, Leave!"
by Jan Gullberg
A mathematics book written by a non-mathematician (a surgeon by trade) with a real passion for the topic. An impressive tome (better than 1,000 pages and heavy enough to brain a sewer rat) it is printed in a double galley format with wide margins (Fermat would have loved it), making it easy to read. I find it an enjoyable reference book, easy to pick a chapter for a good read. And if you get confused by a topic, just go back a few chapters.
It's definitely NOT an urban legend! A Washington, DC police officer, assigned to the bicycle patrol, died from this condition this last summer while on the training course. It was later revealed that he had drunk 3 gallons of water before the training run and an additional 3 gallons during and after the training run! No one new he had drunk the 1st 3 gallons and the rest was consumed from a 'camel pack' over a longer period of time. Granted, it was a stretch of very hot, muggy DC weather and the officer, concerned about dehydration under these conditions, was not aware of the potential risk
The problem, as the Washington Post described it, was not just a gradual dilution of electrolytes, but a sudden crash in electrolyte levels when a critical point of over-hydration is reached. The symptoms: headache, blurry vision, nausea, vomiting, convulsion can, to someone not familiar with the person's water intake, resemble a heat-related disorder, such as heat exhaustion. Therefore, an unknowing observer may drag this poor sole into the shade and give him 'even more water!'
In the case of the DC officer, no one knew of his prior hydration and drinking from a camel pack is not entirely obvious. Had they known of these issues, the tragic result may have been avoided. They have since modified their training and operating routines accordingly.
'confinement' causes cancer in rats! Take a free, roaming, independent rat and shove him into a container, give him meaningless tasks and ... oh wait, that sounds like my job - hmmm.
... oh wait, that sound like my government - hmmm.
... yep, you're right. We're pretty much screwed.
Perhaps if the rats were kept in open, self-governing colonies and were given the 'choice' to cooperate with research studies
Maybe if
Although I admit I am no fan of Mr. Gates or his core business, I have to give him a nod on this one. In addition to malaria, his foundation is also funding research for a vaccine to hookworm, another tropical disease that is rampant in developing nations. Like malaria, it is easily contracted (directly through the sole of the foot), affects the poorest of the poor, and undermines the physical and mental development of children. It can be more effectively treated post-infection than malaria, but there is no current medication to prevent infection. There is no possible profit to be made by pharmaceutical companies because these people are - well - literally dirt poor (they can't even afford the most effective deterrent - shoes). And (check me if I'm wrong guys) I don't think DDT will kill it - unless you sew it into the soil or pour it down the throat of the victim. The only hope these people have for a somewhat healthier life is basic research supported by foundation grants.
Even as I post this from a M$ OS (not my choice because it's not my machine), I am a long time M$ skeptic, critic, and occasional basher (remember those heady days of DOS), as well as a Linux devotee and advocate. I quite often seethe with both anger and despair over the business antics of M$. But I find I have to hold my tongue when it comes to the Gates foundation. Subtle PR manipulation? Maybe. Only a small portion of an overall 5% of the foundation's endowment? Perhaps, but at least it's something.
"Fortune may favor the Bold, but Evolution favors the Winner."