Eruptions comments:
Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland is slowly settling into a pattern of strombolian-to-surtseyan (depending on meltwater access to the crater) explosions that have been sending ash up to 2-5 km above the summit. We can see this new, more diffuse plume in the recent NASA EO image of the eruption taken April 19. There is still abundant ice to melt at the summit as there have been a number of floods overnight and this morning near the volcano, betraying the continuing production of meltwater by the eruption. The Icelandic Met office points out two important tidbits: (1) Eyjafjallajökull has become to deflate, which might mean less vigorous eruption for the time being and (2) there are no signs of any impending eruption at Katla....MOREFrom "...Of Interest":
Finally, a bra that multitasks!
And not forgetting in the public health category a bra that can be converted into a pair of gas masks. One for the wearer, one for a friend.
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Off it comes: Dr Elena Bodnar reveals a bra she designed that can be turned into a pair of gas masks. One for the wearer, and one for a friend
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Wolfgang Ketterle, 2001 winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, gamely steps up to have the bra/gas mask strapped on by Dr Bodnar
To you, that cute pink bra with black lace trim might conjure up thoughts of sexy lingerie. To Dr. Elena Bodnar, it represents a possible lifesaver.
Behold the bra-mask — a bra that in an emergency can be turned into a pair of protective face masks.
Bodnar’s invention the Ig Nobel Prize, given by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine for achievements that “first make people laugh and then make them think.”
“The brilliance of my idea is that it’s very simple,” said Bodnar, of Chicago, who is the director of the nonprofit Trauma Risk Management Research Institute.
To use the bra mask, the wearer unsnaps the brassiere from under her shirt, which breaks it in two. Because each cup has hooks on its side, the strap is wrapped around the head and hooked to the cup, which goes over the mouth. Bodnar said an experienced user can don the mask in mere seconds.
The bra mask could be used during such disasters as fires, terrorist attacks, dust storms or a swine flu outbreak, Bodnar said. Indeed, she first thought up the idea while treating victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster as a medical university graduate in her native Ukraine.
Bodnar is now pursuing commercialization of her bra mask. She hopes all women will eventually have one.
What about the men?
As Bodnar noted in her Oct.1 acceptance speech at Harvard University, “Isn’t it wonderful that women have two breasts, not just one? We can save not only our own lives, but also a man of our choice next to us.”
Unless the guys have different ideas. From The Inspiration Room:
Tulipan condoms are being promoted in Argentina with the year’s spring campaign, “Corpiño”, (Bra), featuring two men sharing a white bra as a face mask. “En primavera seguí cuidándote” is translated in English is “In spring keep taking care”, a reference perhaps to worldwide influenza epidemic, and also the increase in sexual activity during spring. The text at the top is translated, “If you have any questions, ask your doctor”.
