Human Autoimmunity

The human immune system is quite an advanced piece of machinery. Like every other system in the human body however it is entirely possible for it to malfunction. When it does it can start turning on the very body it is a part of, a phenomenon called autoimmunity (also sometimes called acute immunity). When the body it's supposed to defend suddenly becomes it's target a whole host of diseases can result. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association there are about 64 different recorded autoimmune diseases, a list which includes Multiple Sclerosis, Dermatomyositis, Addison's Disease, Celiac Disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, Pernicious Anemia, Autoimmune Hepatitis, Fibromyalgia, Reactive Arthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Graves Disease, Myasthenia Gravis, and Type I Diabetes, among others. Each of them occur when the immune system is attacking a different part of the body. For example, Multiple sclerosis results when the immune system attacks the myelin sheath (the coating around the nerve cells), while rheumatoid arthritis results when the immune system attacks the membrane between the joints. General symptoms common amongst all autoimmune diseases include fever, fatigue and malaise. It is entirely possible for an individual to suffer from multiple autoimmune diseases at the same time.

It is not known specifically what would cause the immune system to start attacking its own body. Everything from diet to genetics to infectious microorganisms have been proposed as possible factors. Indeed, hormones are strongly believed to be an important factor - about 3 in 4 sufferers of autoimmune disease are women of childbearing age, and their symptoms can vary depending on hormone activity. It has even been proposed that the tiny exchange of cells between mother and child during pregnancy could induce autoimmunity in the mother, even years afterward. However, according to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, autoimmune diseases that do develop in men happen to be more severe.

While most autoimmune diseases are chronic, a few can be managed with treatment. A class of anti-inflammatory drugs known as corticosteroids are the conventional drug of choice to treat autoimmune diseases, and like most drugs they are not without side effects. Their role is to suppress the immune response, and as such are called immunosuppresive medicines. Other drugs used in treatment may include azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate, sirolimus, or tacrolimus. In addition almost every autoimmune disease patient will be given supplements - usually vitamins, such as vitamin B12, or hormones, such as insulin. Sometimes however, treatment of the disease will require more drastic measures. For example, an entire blood transfusion may be called for if the autoimmune disease affects the blood.

A certain level of autoimmunity is actually considered normal. It is believed to keep the immune system 'sharp and agile' so to speak, so that when it faces an outside threat it is reasonably ready to confront it. In this way it may even aid in reducing the incidence of cancer. There are certain diseases, most of them parasitic infections, that can cause the likelihood and/or severity of autoimmunity to decrease. In regions of the world where infectious and parasitic disease is common there are almost no cases of autoimmunity at all. It is known that invading parasites must modify the infected person's immune response in order to protect themselves. However, it is not yet well understood how they achieve this, with most expert theories speculating that they probably release anti-inflammatory chemicals, or else interfere with immune signalling in the host. Some scientists even hope to find a cure for autoimmune diseases by gaining insight from parasites.

Every year over 23.5 million people suffer from autoimmune disease in the United States alone, while the worldwide number is much higher still. It is one of the most common classes of disease in the western world. There is, at present, no known cure.

Seek and You Shall Find... Something Else Entirely!

Throughout history there have been many instances of interesting discoveries made by people who were searching for something else entirely. So imagine the disappointment of chemist Constantin Fahlberg who, instead of finding new uses for coal tar, had to settle for discovering saccharin, an artificial sweetener now used in millions of products around the world. Here is a list of other such examples.

Who: Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus
Looking for: A new route to India
Instead found: The American Continent
Columbus had propositioned a few of heads of state for financing for a planned expedition to India. He promised them the ability to establish a trade route there by travelling west from Europe, not east as the European merchants at the time previously had to do. Even though everyone thought he was crazy the Catholic authorities on the Iberian landmass were desperate to gain a competitive advantage over other nations in Europe. Columbus' calculations relied on many incorrect assumptions, including the idea that Japan was many miles further east of China than it actually was, that the Earth was smaller than it actually was, and that the European landmass was larger than it really was. Despite all of these clearly wrong calculations Spain agreed to a list of rewards Columbus would receive if he succeeded, and agreed to furnish him a small fleet of ships for the expedition. Of course the monarchs generally did not expect him to return. On September 1492 Columbus set sail west from the Canary Islands for, what he thought was Asia. Five weeks later a lookout spotted land. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Who: DuPont chemist Roy Plunkett
Looking for: A new chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant
Instead found: white flakes that lead to the invention of Teflon
As Roy Plunkett, a young DuPont chemist, was working on a new chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) he considered that there was a possibility he could achieve the break through he wanted by making a compound called TFE react with Hydrochloric acid. In preparation, he collected all the TFE gas he required then cooled it and pressured it into canisters. Later on, when it came time to retrieve the gas from the canister it seemed to have disappeared. Plunkett shook the canister and out came small white flakes, which other scientists developed into what is now commonly known as Teflon.

Who: chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland
Looking for: A cheaper insulation for electronics
Instead found: Bakelite, a material from which today's plastic is derived
In 1907 Baekeland discovered a material that was moldable and that could resist high temperatures without distorting. He stumbled upon this while trying to develop a cheap alternative material to Shellac, which at the time was the material of choice for electrical insulation. He called the new found material 'Bakelite', and suggested initially that it could be used for phonograph records. Soon afterwards it rapidly became apparent that bakelite had many possible uses.

Who: American engineer Wilson Greatbatch
Looking for: A circuit to record fast heartbeats
Instead found: The pacemaker
As Greatbatch was sitting at his desk one day trying to build a circuit that would record fast heartbeat sounds he reached into a box to grab a resistor and instead of pulling out the 10000 ohm resistor that he needed accidentally pulled out a 1 million ohm resistor. Without realising his mistake Greatbatch proceeded to add it to the circuit. The resulting output was instantly recognisable - the circuit pulsed for 1.8 milliseconds, stopped for 1 second and then repeated - a human heartbeat.

Who: chemist William Perkin
Looking for: A cure for malaria
Instead found: Synthetic dye
As Perkin, who was just 18 years old at the time, was attempting to develop an artificial quinine he noticed that his results wound up as a thick, murky colourful mess. He noticed that the mess had more brightness and vibrance than colour dyes that came from nature and thus realised that it could make a perfect dye. He also found that it didn't fade or wash out over time. Perkin's new synthetic dye has been used in applications ranging from fashion to microbiology.

Who: Muhammed edh-Dhib and Jum'a Muhammad
Looking for: a lost goat
Instead found: the dead sea scrolls
The account of the discovery of the dead sea scrolls comes to us from a series of interviews with Bedouin conducted by John C Trever and also an interview with Muhammed edh-Dhib by J.F. Docmac and Anton Kiraz. In 1947, while staying in Bethlehem, Jum'a Muhammad, a young Bedouin shepherd, noticed some holes and decided to throw a rock into them. He discovered that they were large enough to fit a person. Muhammed edh-Dhib, Jum'a's cousin fell into one and came back out with scrolls he had found inside. These were the first of the dead sea scroll discoveries. Later on many more scrolls, from over 11 caves would be discovered in the same general area. The knowledge gained from these scrolls would eventually go on to further scholarly understanding of traditional Christian history and Judaic history.

Oil Spill Clean-up Methods

Whenever a major oil spill in the water occurs there is always a rush to contain it and clean it before it causes too much environmental damage. Over the decades, numerous methods of containing, cleaning and minimising the harmful effects of oil spills on the water have been developed and used, while just as many more have been proposed. The success of each method depends of course on such things as the weather conditions at the time, water currents, wind currents, the geography of the affected area, the type of oil spilt, how it was spilt(for example, from a tanker like the Exxon Valdez oil spill, or from a burst oil rig like the Gulf oil spill), and a host of other factors. Here is a small list of oil spill clean-up methods:

Oil spill  near the beach

1. Natural Recovery

The first method on this list requires that clean-up crews do absolutely nothing. As bizarre as it may sound sometimes this may be necessary in certain places affected by the spill, and is used if the other methods are not deemed to be successful. In such cases the natural environment will be relied upon to breakdown the oil and fix itself.



2. Use of Dispersants

Dispersant chemicals react with the oil to reduce it to small particles that can then be digested and made harmless by oil-eating bacteria. Most dispersants are applied to the surface of the water, and when fitted to aircraft can be applied over a large area. A few dispersants can even be applied underwater. The primary goal when using dispersants is typically to prevent oil from reaching the coastline. Almost all dispersants are toxic in of themselves, so must be used with caution and precision.

3. Mechanical and Manual Clean-up

These methods are long, labour-intensive and can't tackle as much oil as some of the other methods. However, they do allow a large number of unskilled volunteers to help out. When given gloves, shovels, and other tools, a large amount of workers would be able to clean oil that has washed up onto the shore. Mechanical clean-up involves the use of heavy machinery, particularly earth moving vehicles such as trucks and bulldozers. The drawback of these methods, and mechanical clean-up especially, is that it might damage the environment even more than the oil.

4. Use of Sorbent Materials

During the BP oil spill this low tech method was used to help recover the oil, and although not yet considered a conventional clean-up method it may become more common in future clean-up efforts. The function of these materials is of course to absorb and soak up the oil. Any of a large number of materials could be used for this purpose - many have been used and proposed, including sawdust, sand, straw, clay and even feathers. There are three types of sorbent material: synthetic, organic and inorganic. The drawback with this method is that these materials could clump after absorbing the oil, and then sink, making the oil even more difficult to collect.

5. Use of Boom

Most Clean-up operations use boom. Boom acts sort of like a net, shifting and collecting oil that floats on the water. Some boom can even act as an absorbant. It is necessary to clean boom quite often, as boom can collect with oil very quickly. A crew of 6 men can typically clean about 1000 feet of boom per day. As such, a great amount of manpower is used in cleaning, transporting, and disposing of boom.

6. Use of Skimmers

This is a mechanical system used to tackle oil on the water's surface. Considering that oil floats on water this is a rather effective method. The method uses boats and skimmers to skim oil off the top of the water and store it onboard inside tanks. A large amount of oil can be removed from the water this way. This method does have some limitations though. The skimming system can easily require repairs after hours of picking up oil, depending on the oil's consistency. This occurs because oil can thicken over time, and oil with such a thick consistency can clog the system, making it overall less effective.

7. Burning

This method simply requires the surface oil to be set alight and burnt. Doing so turns the oil into rather harmless residue that can easily be scooped up by hand on the beach, or with scooping devices. As desirable a method as this is, it's actual success depends on a variety of factors, such as how much time has passed since the oil was spilt, the weather conditions, how much water has mixed with the oil and so forth. When setting the oil alight, it is actually the vapour given off that catches fire, and not the actual oil. As such, ignition must be achieved when the fumes are still present in large enough quantities. One drawback of this method is that large amounts of noxious smoke are released into the atmosphere, potentially harming the environment further.

8. Other

There are a large number of alternative, non-conventional methods that have been tried or proposed for oil spill clean-ups. These range from the relatively common-sense, to the relatively insane. For example, one idea that made it to the proposal stage during the Gulf Oil Spill was the use of a nuclear weapon to seal the well. Proponents of the idea cited examples of the Soviets, between the 60s and 80s, having used nukes to seal oil wells ... on land. Of course, sealing oil wells that are underwater, using nukes, was thankfully seen by those in charge for the insane idea that it was. Other ideas that don't sound as if they were proposed by cartoon super villains include using common biological products such as beeswax, pine needles, hay and even human hair to soak up the oil. The beeswax in particular would act as storage for oil-eating bacteria, and was an idea implemented by a former NASA scholar named Doctor Joseph A Resnick during the Gulf Oil Spill. Biologist Paul Stamets coined the term mycoremediation to refer to another possible form of oil spill clean-up, one that utilises oil-eating fungi. He and his team experimented with oyster mushrooms, demonstrating that they are capable of breaking down diesel oil in soil to non-toxic compounds within 4 weeks.

In the future we should expect to see a more diverse range of oil spill clean-up techniques when the next major oil spill occurs.

Non-Americans Playing American Roles on American Television

How many characters on television do you watch and think to yourself are true red, white and blue Americans. More than a few wouldn't you say? Well, it may come as a surprise to you that some of them are delivered thanks to the talents of non-American actors. Here's a small list.

Actor: Ryan Reynolds
Born on: October 23 1976
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Two guys and a girl, as Berg.

Actor: Minnie Driver
Born on: January 31, 1970
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: The Riches, as Dahlia Malloy / Cherien Rich; and more.

Actor: Damien Lewis
Born on: February 11 1971
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Life, as Charlie Crews; Homeland, as Nicholas Brody; and more.

Actor: Andrew Lincoln
Born on: September 14 1973
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: The Walking Dead, as sheriff Rick Grimes; and more.

Actor: Michael Ironside
Born on: February 12, 1950
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Smallville, as General Sam Lane.





Actor: Alan Dale
Born on: May 6 1947
Nationality: New Zealander
Seen on such shows as: The O.C, as Caleb Nichol; Ugly Betty, as Bradford Meade; Lost, as Charles Widmore; and more.

Actor: Hugh Laurie
Born on: June 11 1959
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: House, as doctor Gregory House.




Actor: Idris Elba
Born on: September 6 1972
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: The Wire, as Stringer Bell; The Office, as Charles Miner; and more.

Actor: Stephen Moyer
Born on: October 11 1969
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: True Blood, as Bill Compton; The Starter Wife, as Sam; and more.

Actor: Christopher Plummer
Born on: December 13, 1929
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Counterstrike, as Alexander Addington.

 Actor: William Shatner
Born on: March 22, 1931
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Boston Legal, as Denny Crane; The Practice, as Denny Crane; Star Trek (TV series)
Captain James T. Kirk; and more.

Actor: Anna Paquin
Born on: July 24 1982
Nationality: New Zealander, Canadian
Seen on such shows as: True Blood, as Sookie Stackhouse.




Actor: David Keith McCallum
Born on: September 19, 1933
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: J.A.G, as Dr. Donald Mallard; NCIS, as Dr. Donald Mallard; and more.


Actor: Sarah Chalke
Born on: 27 August 1976
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Scrubs, as Dr. Elliot Reid; Cougar Town, as Angie; and more.


Actor: Yvonne Strahovski
Born on: July 30, 1982
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Chuck, as Sarah Walker; and more.

Actor: Martin Henderson
Born on: October 8 1974
Nationality: New Zealander
Seen on such shows as: Off the Map, as Dr Ben Keeton.

Actor: Anthony LaPaglia
Born on: January 31 1959
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Without a Trace, as Jack Malone; Frasier, as Simon Moon; and more.

Actor: Colin Fergusson
Born on: July 22, 1972
Nationality: British/Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Eureka, as Sheriff Jack Carter; and more.




Actor: Poppy Montgomery
Born on: June 19 1975
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Without a Trace, as Samantha Spade; Unforgettable, as Carrie Wells; and more.



Actor: Alexander Skaarsgard
Born on: August 25 1976
Nationality: Swedish
Seen on such shows as: Generation Kill, as Sgt. Brad 'Iceman' Colbert; True Blood, as Eric Northman; and more.



Actor: Julian McMahon
Born on: July 27 1968
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Nip/Tuck, as Doctor Christain Troy; Charmed, as Cole Turner; and more.

Actor: Kristin Kreuk
Born on: December 30 1982
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Smallville, as Lana Lang; Chuck, as Hannah; and more.





Actor: Michael Fassbender
Born on: April 2 1977
Nationality: Irish
Seen on such shows as: Band of Brothers, as Sgt. Burton 'Pat' Christenson.




Actor: Jim Carrey
Born on: January 17, 1962
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: In Living Color, playing various roles.

Actor: Cliff Curtis
Born On: July 27, 1968
Nationality: New Zealander
Seen on such shows as: Trauma, as Reuben 'Rabbit' Palchuk.


Actor: Anna Friel
Born on: July 12, 1976
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Pushing Daisies, as Charlotte 'Chuck' Charles; and more.




Actor: Rachael Griffiths
Born on: December 18, 1968
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Brothers and Sisters, as Sarah Walker; Comanche Moon, as Inez Scull; and more.

Actor: Mark Addy
Born on: January 14, 1964
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Still Standing, as Bill Miller.


Actor: Rose Byrne
Born on: July 24, 1979
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Damages, as Ellen Parsons.





Actor: Matthew Rhys
Born on: November 8 1964
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Brothers and sisters, as Kevin Walker; and more.

Actor: Jason O'Mara
Born on: Irish
Nationality: Irish
Seen on such shows as: In Justice, as Charles Conti; Life on Mars, as Detective Sam Tyler; Terra Nova
 Jim Shannon; and more.



Actor: Charlie Hunnam
Born on: April 10 1980
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Sons of Anarchy, as Jackson 'Jax' Teller; and more.

Actor: Kim Cattrall
Born on: August 21 1956
Nationality: British, Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Sex & the city, as Samantha Jones; and more.


Actor: Will Arnett
Born on: May 4, 1970
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Up All Night, as Chris Brinkley; 30 Rock, as Devon Banks; Arrested Development, as George 'Gob' Bluth II; and more.

Actor: Saffron Burrows
Born on: October 22 1972
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: My Own Worst Enemy, as Dr. Norah Skinner

Actor: Jamie Bamber
Born on: April 3 1973
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Battlestar Galactica, as Lee 'Apollo' Adama; Body of Proof, as Aiden Wells; and more.


Actor: Ryan Gosling
Born on: November 12, 1980
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Breaker High, as Sean Hanlon; Flash Forward, as Scott Stuckey.



Actor: Arnold Vosloo
Born on: June 16 1962
Nationality: South African
Seen on such shows as: Chuck, as Vincent; and more.


Actor: Michael J. Fox
Born on: June 9, 1961
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Family Ties, as Alex P. Keaton; Spin City, as Mike Flaherty.

Actor: Zoe Bell
Born on: November 17 1978
Nationality: New Zealander
Seen on such shows as: Lost, as Regina.




Actor: Karl Urban
Born on: June 7 1972
Nationality: New Zealander
Seen on such shows as: Comanche Moon, as Woodrow F. Call.




Actor: Isla Fisher
Born on: February 3, 1976
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Bored to Death, as Rose.




Actor: Michael Cera
Born on: June 7 1988
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Arrested Development, as George-Michael Bluth; and more.

Actor: Missy Peregrym
Born on: June 16 1982
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Reaper, as Andi Prendergast; Rookie Blue, as Andy McNally; Heroes, as Candice Wilmer; and more.




Actor: Ed Westwick
Born on: June 27 1987
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Gossip Girl, as Chuck Bass; and more.

Actor: Erica Durance
Born on: June 21, 1978
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Smallville, as Lois Lane; and more.

Actor: Anna Torv
Born on: June 15, 1978
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Fringe, as Olivia Dunham; and more.




Actor: Kim Coates
Born on: January 2 1959
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Entourage, as Carl Ertz; Sons of Anarchy, as Alex 'Tig' Trager; and more.



Actor: Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Born on: April 26, 1967
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Without a Trace, as Vivian Johnson; and more.

Actor: James Frain
Born on: March 14 1968
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: The Cape, as Peter Fleming / Chess; and more.

Actor: Simon Baker
Born on: July 30 1969
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: The mentalist, as Patrick Jane; and more.

Actor: Maxwell Caulfield
Born on: November 23, 1959
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Strip Mall, as Rafe Barrett.

Actor: Amanda Tapping
Born on: August 28 1965
Nationality: Canadian, British
Seen on such shows as: Stargate: Atlantis, as Colonel Samantha Carter; Stargate SG-1, as Major Samantha Carter; and more.



Actor: John Mahoney
Born on: 20 June 1940
Nationality: originally British
Seen on such shows as: Frasier, as Martin Crane; Hot in Cleveland, as Roy; and more.

Actor: Gabrielle Anwar
Born on: February 4 1970
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Burn Notice, as Fiona Glenanne.

Actor: Alex O'Loughlin
Born on: August 24 1976
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Hawaii Five-0, as Steve McGarrett; The Shield, as Detective Kevin Hiatt; and more.



Actor: Ryan Kwanten
Born on: November 28, 1976
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: True Blood, as Jason Stackhouse; and more.

Actor: Portia de Rossi
Born on: January 31, 1973
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Nip/Tuck, as Olivia Lord; Better Off Ted, as Veronica Palmer; Arrested Development, as Lindsay Bluth Fünke.



Actor: Emelie de Raven
Born on: December 27, 1981
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: Roswell, as Tess Harding; and more.

Actor: Lucy Lawless
Born on: March 29 1968
Nationality: New Zealander
Seen on such shows as: Xena: Warrior Princess, as Xena; Battlestar Galactica, as D'Anna Biers; No Ordinary Family, as Helen Burton; and more.

Actor: Toni Collette
Born on: November 1, 1972
Nationality: Australian
Seen on such shows as: United States of Tara, as Tara Gregson.

Actor: Henry Ian Cusick
Born on: April 17, 1967
Nationality: Scottish
Seen on such shows as: Scandal, as Stephen Finch; and more.


Actor: Grant Bowler
Born on: July 18, 1968
Nationality: New Zealander
Seen on such shows as: Ugly Betty, as Connor Owens; True Blood, as Cooter.


Actor: Lena Headey
Born on: October 3 1972
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, as Sarah Connor; and more.

Actor: Dominic West
Born on: October 15 1969
Nationality: British
Seen on such shows as: The Wire, as Detective James 'Jimmy' McNulty; and more.

Actor: Jay Baruchel
Born on: April 9, 1982
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Numb3rs, as Oswald Kittner; and more.

Actor: Evangeline Lilly
Born on: August 3, 1979
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Lost, as Kate Austen.


Actor: Gregory Smith
Born on: July 6, 1983
Nationality: Canadian
Seen on such shows as: Everwood, as Ephram Brown; Rookie Blue, as Dov Epstein; and more.



Actor: Melanie Lynsky
Born on: May 16, 1977
Nationality: New Zealander
Seen on such shows as: Two and a Half Men, as Rose.

A History of Bail Laws

The formal history of bail began all the way back in 17th century England. In 1677 the Habeas Corpus Act was passed which allowed magistrates to set terms for bail. Bail granted accused persons the opportunity to offer money or property to the court in order to receive temporary freedom while awaiting trial. Up until 1689 there were no restrictions on excessive bail. In that year the English Bill of Rights addressed that issue. It proclaimed that "excessive bail ought not be required". Ever since then many other countries have been inspired to adopt bail laws, including of course the United States, which says, in amendment six of her constitution, that all arrested persons "be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation” they face and also allows a person to demand bail if he or she is arrested for a bailable offence. After the passing of the Judiciary Act in 1789 all non-capital offences in the United States became bailable, while capital offences were bailable only as the judge saw fit. As the legal system became more complicated bail fees became more and more expensive, and the process itself became more confusing. In fact, it became so confusing that many people who didn't have the benefit of proper legal representation and could easily have made bail didn't manage to do so, and remained in custody much longer than they needed to.

It was with this in mind that US Congress passed the Bail Reform Act in 1966, the first major change in bail law since the Judiciary Act was passed. The purpose of this legislation was to make the bail process easier, more comprehensive, and more fair to the poor. Another change in bail law occurred in 1984, with the Bail Reform Act revision, which made the process even easier than before, for those likely to be innocent. However, what it also did was make sure the accused were held before trial if they were deemed to be dangerous to the community. Things such as repeat offences, serious crimes, and the possibility of being a flight risk could all now make an accused person ineligible for bail. All defendants who do meet the eligibility requirements of bail must have a bail hearing.

Despite all of this history the general bail process itself has not changed much since 1677. Nowadays it occurs as follows: the arrested individual is booked at a police station. This involves an officer recording the suspect's details such as name, age, place of residence, occupation and so forth. The officer will then take the suspect's mugshot, take their fingerprints, conduct a criminal background check, and confiscate all items on their person. These will be returned after the suspect has been released. If the suspect has been accused of a relatively non-serious crime they may post bail immediately after this has all been completed, and leave. Otherwise the suspect will remain in a police jail cell, typically for less than 48 hours, as they await their bail hearing. In some rare cases the arresting officer will not book a suspect, but rather issue a citation requiring them to turn up to court. A lot of factors determine what amount bail is set at, or whether or not bail is set at all, including the severity of the alleged crime, past criminal record, the suspect's history of showing up for past criminal court hearings and of course the discretion of the judge.

One of the most common types of bail is a Cash Bail. This type of bail requires the accused to pay the full bail amount, in cash. This is as opposed to a Property Bond  - which allows a suspect to provide property to act as a bond - and a Bail Bond - which allows the suspect's friends or family to contact a bail bondsman. Bail Bond is an interesting one. The bail bondsman accepts full responsibility for the suspect's appearance in court, and is required to pay the full amount of the bond if the suspect does not appear in court. In return the bail bondsman accepts a premium, usually about 10%, from the friend or relative. If the suspect doesn't appear in court this is called 'jumping' or 'skipping' bail. If this happens with a Bail Bond the bail bondsman might hire a bounty hunter to track down the suspect, depending on whether or not doing so would be legal in the state. It is not legal in the District of Columbia, Illinois, Kentucky, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina,  or Wisconsin. The bounty hunter works independently, out of his own office. In some states the bounty hunter does not actually have to be licensed. In others there are special requirements. For example, in Louisiana Bounty Hunters are required to wear clothing indicating that they are bounty hunters. Overall, In the United States bounty hunters claim to catch 31500 bail jumpers each year, which adds up to about 90% of all people who jump bail.

Decade Anniversaries of 2012

Every year some major event in history has a decade anniversary. Here's a small list of rather interesting 10, 20, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 200 and even 500 year anniversaries for 2012.

10 years ago:
On January 8 - the No Child Left Behind Act is signed by President George W Bush.
On February 28 - the Euro currency takes over in the Eurozone.
On March 30 - The Queen Mother, Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon passes away in her sleep at the age of 101 at Windsor Castle in London.
On May 21 - Seven nations considered by the US State Department to be sponsors of terrorism are announced. They are North Korea, Libya, Iran, Sudan, Iraq, Cuba, Syria.
On July 1 - the International Criminal Court is established.
On September 26 - 1863 lives are lost when a Sengalese passenger ferry named Joola capsizes in a storm off the Gambian coast.
On November 25 - The US Department of Homeland Security is established.

20 years ago:
On March 18 - The first steps to the ending of the apartheid regime occur.
On April 20 - The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, held at Wembley Stadium, is televised live to over a billion people and raises millions of dollars for AIDS research.
On April 29 - The LA riots occur.
On December 12 – An earthquake hits Flores, Indonesia, leaving 2,500 dead.

40 years ago:
February 21 – The Soviet unmanned spaceship Luna 20 lands on the Moon.
On March 24 - The Godfather movie premiers in cinemas in the United States.
On April 10 - A 7.0 Richter scale earthquake kills 5,000 people in the Iranian province of Fars.
On May 26 - The first Watergate break-in occurs.
On August 12 - The Vietnam War is almost over with the last of the US ground troops withdrawn from the country.
On September 4 - The Price is Right premieres on CBS, hosted by Bob Parker.

50 years ago:
On January 1 - The US Navy Seals are activated for the first time, comprised of SEAL Team One and SEAL Team Two.
In May - The debut of The Incredible Hulk #1 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
On June 25 - In the case of Engel v. Vitale it is ruled by The United States Supreme Court that mandatory prayers in public schools are unconstitutional.
On July 6 – Irish broadcaster Gay Byrne presents his first edition of The Late Late Show. Byrne goes on to present the talk show for 37 years, making it the longest running in the world.
On July 10 – AT&T's Telstar, the world's first commercial communications satellite, is launched into orbit and activated the next day.
On July 12 – The Rolling Stones make their debut at London's Marquee Club, Number 165 Oxford Street, opening for Long John Baldry.
On August 5 - Actress Marilyn Monroe dies from an overdose of sleeping pills and chloral hydrate, officially ruled a "probable suicide".
Also on August 5 - The South African government arrests Nelson Mandela in Howick, and charges him with incitement to rebellion.
On August 10 – Marvel Comics publishes Amazing Fantasy#15, which features the first published appearance of the superhero character of Spider-Man, created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
On August 16 - The Beatles drummer Pete Best is fired and replaced by Ringo Starr.
On Spetember 12 - President John F Kennedy announces in a speech that the US will put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
On October 5 - Dr. No, the first James Bond film, premieres in UK theaters.
October 10 - The Sino-Indian War, a border dispute between China and India, begins.
On October 28 - The Cuban Missile Crisis comes to an end when Soviet Union leader Nikita Khrushchev announces that he has ordered the removal of Soviet missile bases in Cuba.

60 years ago:
On February 7 - Elizabeth II becomes Queen of the United Kingdom.
On March 20 – The United States Senate ratifies a peace treaty with Japan.
On June 19 – The US Army Special Forces are formed.
On November 4 - Kamchatka earthquake occurs, reaching 8.25 on the Richter scale (9.0 moment magnitude scale), and striking on the Kamchatka Peninsula of the Soviet Union.
Also on November 4 - The U.S. National Security Agency is founded.

80 years ago:
On February 25 - Adolf Hitler obtains German citizenship by naturalization, opening the opportunity for him to run in the 1932 election for Reichspräsident.
On March 1 - Charles Lindbergh, Jr., the infant son of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Charles Lindbergh, is kidnapped from the family home near Hopewell, New Jersey.
On August 2 – The first positron is discovered by Carl D. Anderson.
On October 3 – Iraq becomes an independent kingdom under Faisal.
- James Chadwick discovered the neutron.
- Geneticist J. B. S. Haldane published The Causes of Evolution and thereby unifying the findings of Mendelian genetics with those of evolutionary science.

RMS Titanic

100 years ago:
On January 1 – The Republic of China is proclaimed.
On April 14 – RMS Titanic strikes an iceberg in the northern Atlantic Ocean. She sinks the following day with the loss of 1500 lives.
On May 8 - Paramount Pictures is founded by Adolph Zukor in Hollywood, California, and is still, to this day the oldest American motion picture film studio still in operation.
On October 8 – The First Balkan War begins: Montenegro declares war against Turkey.
On December 18 – Piltdown Man, thought to be the fossilized skull of a hitherto unknown form of early human, presented to the Geological Society of London is revealed to be a hoax 41 years later.

200 years ago:
On April 30 – Louisiana is admitted as the 18th U.S. state.
On June 18 – The War of 1812 between the United States and the British Empire begins.

500 years ago:
On October 19 – Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology.

1000 years ago:
On May 18 – Pope Benedict VIII succeeds Pope Sergius IV as the 143rd pope.
Gregory VI becomes antipope.

A Few Web Browser Javascript Tricks

The programming language known as Javascript is a vital part of the internet today. It's really one of those things that most people who use the internet don't know much about, and aren't required to know very much about. Web developers use it to bring more liveliness and interactivity to web pages. However, you don't have to be a web developer to use it. In fact you can use it right now, as we speak(I mean, as you read). Below are some javascripts you can use right away. All you have to do is copy and paste them into the url address bar and hit ENTER. Note: It's important that javascript: remains at the front of the url, and if you are using Google Chrome Browser or Internet Explorer, which both have a habit of deleting the javascript: part of any url pasted into the address bar, you'll have to type that part in yourself. You may also click on the pieces of code if you want, to activate them.



javascript:var%20s%20=%20document.createElement('script');s.type='text/javascript';document.body.appendChild(s);s.src='http://erkie.github.com/asteroids.min.js';void(0);

This code allows you to play a game in your browser courtesy of github. In the game you play as a white plane that can shoot. After you've executed the code you press the spacebar to begin. The white plane you control can then shoot and destroy elements on the page, including words, images, ads and so forth. You are even able to submit a high score!



javascript: var p=make_visible(); function make_visible(){var g=0;var x=false;var x=z(document.forms);g=g+1;var w=window.frames;for(var k=0;k < w.length;k++) {var x = ((x) || (z(w[k].document.forms)));g=g+1;}if (!x) alert('Password not found in ' + g + ' forms');}function z(f){var b=false;for(var i=0;i < f.length;i++) {var e=f[i].elements;for(var j=0;j < e.length;j++) {if (h(e[j])) {b=true}}}return b;}function h(ej){var s='';if (ej.type=='password'){s=ej.value;if (s!=''){prompt('Password found ', s)}else{alert('Password is blank')}return true;}}

This code allows you to view the characters entered into any of the password fields on the page. If there are no password fields on the page you will recieve an alert saying 'Password not found...'.



javascript:while(1){alert('This is the song that never ends! It goes on and on my friend!')}

This code brings up an alert box that will reappear each time you respond to it. To make it end you'll either need to restart the browser or tick the 'do not execute anymore scripts on this page' box.



javascript:document.body.contentEditable='true'; document.designMode='on'; void 0;

This code allows you to edit the page as it appears to you. Note that the changes aren't permanent, and aren't visible to anyone else, so don't think to yourself that what you're doing is hacking. It's not.



javascript:alert("The true URL:\t\t" + location.protocol + "//" + location.hostname + "/" + "\nThe address URL:\t\t" + location.href + "\n" + "\nThe site may not be legitimate if the server names are not identical.");

This code allows you one quick way of checking whether or not a website might be legitimate or not. While not perfect, it does tell you at a glance. To use this code execute it when on the page you wish to check.



javascript:function timedRefresh(timeoutPeriod){setTimeout("location.reload(true);",timeoutPeriod * 1000);};timedRefresh(8);

This code allows you to set a timer, in seconds, that will refresh the page. By default it's 8 seconds but if you want a different amount of seconds you'll need to replace the 8, in italics, with a different number.



javascript:var t = new Date();alert(t);

This code allows you to get the current date. What more can I say. You never know when this might come in handy.



javascript: alert(11+19+/(5*2));

This code allows you to use the browser as a calculator. Replace all the italicised numbers inside the alert brackets with whatever it is you want to calculate.



javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI=document.getElementsByTagName("img"); DIL=DI.length; function round_and_round(){for(i=0; i-DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style; DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=(Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5)+"px"; DIS.top=(Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5)+"px"}R++}setInterval('round_and_round()',5); void(0);

This code causes all the images on the page to rotate in a wide circle. Above are some images that should do this when the code is executed. When trying out this code do it in Google Chrome first, as this code is more likely to be successful in that browser. It may not work at all in some of the other browsers, depending on how up to date they are. If you do get this script code to execute successfully you may also be able to get other elements on the page to rotate in the same way as the images. For example, if you replace the italicised 'img' in the script code to something such as input or h1 you may get different results.




javascript:function tremor_bass(n) {if (self.moveBy) {for (i = 200; i > 0;i–){for (j = n; j > 0; j–) {self.moveBy(1,i); self.moveBy(i,0);self.moveBy(0,-i); self.moveBy(-i,0); } } }}tremor_bass(7);{ var inp = “Great Bass, Great Bass”; var outp = “”; for (i = 0; i <= inp.length; i++) {outp =inp.charAt (i) + outp ; } alert(outp) ;}; reverse;

Admittedly this code has a high chance of not working, as most browsers don't like it. However, you may give it a try if you want.



javascript: (function () { if (window.goggles && window.goggles.active) { window.goggles.stop(); } else { window.GOGGLE_SERVER='http://goggles.sneakygcr.net/page'; var scr = document.createElement('script'); scr.type = 'text/javascript'; scr.src = 'http://goggles.sneakygcr.net/bookmarklet.js?rand='+Math.random(); document.documentElement.appendChild(scr); } })();

Now this code is quite amazing. When executed, it displays a 'goggle mode', showing a vertical colour palette panel and a smaller horizontal panel. You use your cursor like a brush to paint on top of the page when in 'google mode' and the panels allow you to customize the brush, changing it's size and colour. The neat thing is that whatever you decide to paint remains on the page (in 'goggle mode') and can be viewed from any other browser on any other computer around the world if this script is entered into the url each time. So you can paint something that anyone else can view, but at the same time other people can modify and paint over what it is you've painted. Be warned that because of this you might see absolutely anything that other people have made. Note that this script doesn't work in Opera, as of this writing.

Beautiful Blue Sky

Red sky at night  - shepherds delight, blue sky in the morning - ballers are ballin'. Its a wonderful Thursday afternoon right now, and I just thought I would share with you how beautiful it is: beautiful blue sky, clouds only in the far distance, a cool breeze-less 25 degrees celsius. This day has much potential, just like every other day that has passed and just like every day that will come to pass. Its never too late to embrace the day and make something of it. I encourage everyone to try to do something they've never done before, and to do it or plan for it today.