Why Salvador Dali Museum as a Wish List to Visit before Die?

Monday, July 8, 2019
The unique design of Salvador Dali Museum

Many friends of mine have “wish list” before they die. Their favorite places or objects to visit are:

1. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
2. Douro valley, Portugal
3. Machu Picchu, Peru
4. Marrakech, Morocco
5. Great Wall, China
6. Pyramid, Egypt

Surprisingly, quite plenty friends of mine have included Salvador Dali Museum, St Petersberg, Florida as their wish list to visit before they die.

It is because the building is unique. It was built based on principle of science, math and proportion. Represent of Salvador Dali see the world with 1000 ways.

The artist observed the world as combinations of:
- progressive
- classic
- fantasy


Museum locates at Water front

The museum has collected art works of Dali, the biggest outside of his country, Spain:
- 96 oil paintings
- 2000 pieces of art works

List of some Dali’s painting are:
- The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory
- The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus
- Daddy Long Legs of the Evening — Hope
- Eggs on the Plate Without the Plate
- Portrait of My Dead Brother

One of corner inside museum

Inside the 3 floor building, we can go from first to third floor through spiral staircase. Staircase reflects the Dali interests in science, DNA helix.

In addition to galleries which displays Dali’s painting, the museum also has sections of:
- theater
- gift shops
- library
- Gala cafe (named for respect of Dali’s wife)
- meeting room
Melting watch, one of Dali famous paintings

Around 400,000 visitors come to Dali Museum in Florida per year. They are from 30 different countries.

Museum is considered as one of the most visited in America. Entrance ticket is US$ 24 for an adult (18 to 64 years). US$ 22 for:
- Seniors
- Fire fighters
- Military
- Educators (teachers)
- Police


Have you visited or arranged to come to Dali’s Museum in Florida?

Are there Jobs With Salary US$80,000 Without College Degree?

Sunday, July 7, 2019
One of Mississippi river cruise ships (credit to Google)

Just to give an idea that average salary for college degree is US$48,00 in the USA. Off course depends very much on the:

- majors (medical relate degrees, nurse and engineering are different to social relate degrees)
- places of work (profit companies, public or non-profit institutions).
- occupation (teacher, employee, business owner, supervisor or manager).

The question then, are there Jobs With Salary US$80,000 Without College Degree? The answer is YES.

There are jobs without college degrees with higher salary. Annual average salary US$80,000. Sure, the higher could reach more than US$100 thousands per-year.

Two of trending jobs with high school diploma, but higher salary are:
- Water vessel pilot and associates
- Operator at nuclear power reactors

An inter coastal boat (credit to Google)

Based on area of operations, water vessels (cargo, cruise, oil tanker and others) include:
- Deep ocean ships
- Coastal boats
- Lake transportation
- Inland water vessels

In addition to vessel captains, other supporting occupations get higher salary as well, especially at managerial or supervise levels.

Interestingly, who works in the shipping industries fell their jobs are:
- 75% satisfy
- 67% meaningfulness

A nuclear power plant (credit to Google)

Operators at nuclear power reactors work 24 hours cycle with 8 hours shift. Thus, they need life adjustment.

It is reported that operators view about their jobs are:
- 63 satisfy
- 72% feel meaningfulness of their jobs.

In addition to high school diploma, both water vessel captains and nuclear power plant reactors need specific license and rigorous training.


Do you know occupations with higher pay, more than US$80,00 per year without 4 years college degrees?

An Orphan Baby Girl Dugong Needs a Warm Hug

Saturday, July 6, 2019
An orphan baby Dugong calms down in the arms of a marine biologist (credit to Google)

What make world exciting recently is that Thailand Marine biologists found a lonely orphan baby girl of Dugong nearby Phuket water.

When she saw marine biologists, the 5 months orphan girl approached the scientists. She hugs one of scientists who she taught of her mother.

Frightening fact that 200 Dugong left only in Thailands, and similar trend in other South East Asian countries. Dugong Population near extinct

Dugong (Dugong dugon) in South East Asia similar to Manatee (Trichechus sp) in America. They are also known as “sea cow.”

In fairy tales, they are called as mermaid or queen of sea or “putri duyung” in many countries.

I myself may found Dugong in the fisherman markets in South East Asian Countries about 30 years ago.

Marine biologists are milking orphan baby dugong (credit to Google)

Governments in South East countries included Dugong as endangered species around 15 years ago or later. The countries are:
- Thailand
- Philippine
- Malaysia
- Indonesia
- Vietnam

They are not only endangered species, but International Union of Conservation for Nature considered Dugong as “vulnerable” species, almost disappear from earth.

Baby girl Dugong is approaching a biologist (credit to Google)

The extinct is not due to commercial hunting for meat, skin or bones. Man activities are the main reasons of Dugong population to deplete.

Human activities destroyed food sources and habitat of this critters. The activities include:
- Fishing vessels with their fuel contaminated Dugong’s habitat
- Fishing tools (nets, cages, trawl, grates) destroyed sea grass beds as source of foods.
- Mining cause “sediment build up” and degrading marine habitat.


Have you seen Dugongs or Manatees in the nature? 

Why “Blue Blood” is Cost for US$ 60 Thousand per Gallon?

Thursday, July 4, 2019
Horseshoe crabs on the beach (credit to Google)

What? “Blue blood?” Expensive? I am quite surprising when reading an article about price of blue blood of a horseshoe crab, a primitive marine creature.

When I was a little kid, I found these creatures on the beach while low tide. The horseshoe crabs are older than dinosaurs in term of evolutionary time.

They were appearing about more than 200 million years ago, thus categorized as “living fossil.”

In the USA, if we lucky enough, we may spot this living fossil along the coastline of Maine to Florida to Texas and then to Mexico in the summer season.

The scientific name for American horseshoe crab is Limulus polypemus. Other three species are found in tropical Indo-Pacific, mainly in South East Asia countries:

- Tachypleus gigas
- Tachypleus tridentatus
- Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda

Blue blood was taken by bleeding horseshoe crabs (credit to Google)

Based on scientific name, horseshoe crab is not really crab. Close to spider and scorpion than to crab.

Why their blood color are blue? To carry oxygen in the blood, horseshoe crabs use hemocyanin, and hemocyanin contains copper to cause blood to be blue.

As comparison that mammals use hemoglobin to carry oxygen in their blood. Hemoglobin contains iron which make red color of blood.

Male on the top of female when they are breeding (credit to Google)

Price tag is US$ 60 thousands equal to Euro 53 thousand or US$ 16,000 per liter. So expensive.

It is because highly demand of horseshoe crabs blood by pharmaceutical companies. The companies catch the living fossil, and brought to lab to drain up the animal blood.

Around 30% of animals blood are taken, then released back to ocean. List of companies collect the blue blood are:

- Associates of Cape Cod
- Wako Chemical
- Lonza
- Charles River Endosafe
- Limuli Labs

Blue blood is extracted for Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL). The LAL then applied to detect virus, bacteria and toxin in the substances.

Have you seen horseshoe crab on the beach?

Why Diabetes Type 2 Patients Need Insulin? - Diabetes 18

Wednesday, July 3, 2019
Insulin injection for illustration only (credit to Google)

At early stages of type 2 diabetes, insulin is produced enough by body (specific organ in the pancreas).

The disturbance of blood sugar level, may be controlled with additional activities such as:
- Low caloric diet
- Need physical activities more
- Some medications (oral pills)

Why patients need insulin injection? Two main reasons are:
- Body reduces ability slowly to produce insulin to control blood sugar over time.
- Oral medications not effective to reduce blood sugar anymore

What mean by adding insulin to the body? Few are:
- To lower blood glucose to healthy level in quick manner
- Insulin make body take rest from hard work to break down glucose in the blood.

In term of cost, it is said that using insulin is cheaper compared to other diabetic medications in long term average.

Take out insulin

The most favorite area to inject insulin is abdomen, but other areas also perfect:
- Hip
- Buttocks
- Back of arms
- Thighs

Methods to deliver insulin into the body are developed well, in addition to syringe and needle other methods are:

1. Using a kind of pen. This method is less pain than syringe and needle, but little bit expensive.

2. Insulin pump. This method is imitating the body to control blood sugar. Specific training is needed to execute this method.

On going researches are conducted to find out the best way to manage diabetes. Improvement are seen day by day.

Are Colorful Cacti Favorite as Summer Flowering Plants?

Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Colorful cacti

We just visit Home Depot to buy our lawn mower spare parts. Then, have a look to nursery section.

We saw colorful cacti at one corner, one of waitress said that colorful cacti is one of favorite Summer Flowering Plants.

This cacti also called as chin cacti or moon cacti. It scientific name is Gymnocalycium mihanovichii.

They have variety of colors, include:
- bright reds
- pinks
- yellows
- oranges
- green
- purple
- blue

Yellow cactus

Moon cacti also known as desert germ cacti. They come from South America. Easy to grow, especially indoor.

Since colorful and small size, they are good for home decoration. Look beautiful on the table top or desks. They are perfect to be mixed with other houseplants arrangements.

Several yellow and orange cacti

The moon cacti have shorter life span compared to other cacti. The average life span was 1 to 2 years.

They would reach 4 years if we give a good care. But shorter compared to 10 years life span of several cacti.

Pink cactus

Rotting their roots is the main problem for any kinds of cacti. Rotting causes moon cacti turned to brown on the top

Generally, root rotting is caused by:
- over watered
- bad drainage
- both of over watered and bad drainage.

During winter, we no need to watering the cacti at all. They could survive until spring season.

Have you ever take care of moon cacti?

Why Medical Students Need Specific Social Media? - Part 1

Monday, July 1, 2019
First aid for gun shot wounded, illustration only (credit to Google)

There is social media called as “Figure 1,” a kind of Instagram for Doctors. “Figure 1 app” was developed by a physician and associates.

Their names are Dr. Joshua Landy, Richard Penner and Gregory Levey from Canada, then spread all over the world.

It is believed that more than one million viewers have accessed to the website, they are include, but not limited to:

- medical doctors
- students of medical school
- nurses and nurse students
- health professionals or health technicians
- other related professionals

A Surgery room (credit to Google)

Doctors may take any pictures of their patients that their think exciting or unusual such as a gun shot wounded.

Before posting the pictures, Doctors need approval from their patients. An agreement between doctors and their patients just by touching built in screen.

After permission of patients, the photos to be legal. Then, Doctors allowed to post in “Figure 1 app.”

Other doctors from around the globe examined the pictures, made comments and favorites its.

However, the name and face of patients cannot be shown in the social media.

By the way, just to let you know that this article is based on Podcast (Please see: #2 The Secret, Gruesome Internet for Doctors).

The Podcast tried to discuss about “Figure 1 app” and its impact to daily life, include medical field.

The podcast hosted by PJ Vogt and cohost Alex Goldman. They have some guests that are John Herrman and Lauren.

# This article will be continued. See you in the following post (part 2).