Zathras

Got a second sim to trial coverage around my city. It's not even been a full week and I am bombarded with spam calls and texts. Unsure if it is election related or just everyday spam.

Thought it was cute. Had to share. Happy adventuring!

cross-posted from: https://kbin.social/m/PCGaming/t/603675

Original Sin's Honour mode is returning.

I remember watching Carbot years ago for the WoW and HOTS episodes. Was tickled to watch the BG3 episodes. There are only 3 episodes out at the moment. Hope you all enjoy!

Found this video amusing, thought I'd share. Enjoy!

Part one is a blast (hee hee) if you haven't seen it yet. Highly entertaining.

Not from the movie but feels like this one could be.

Phillies Deny Entry To Man’s Emotional Support Alligator Into Citizens Bank Park

Huffington Post / 2023-09-28 22:13

A Pennsylvania man has struck out in his attempt to bring his emotional support alligator to a Philadelphia Phillies baseball game.

Joie Henney went to Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday hoping to see the Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he wasn’t alone.

Along with him was WallyGator, a 5-foot-long gator Henney adopted in 2015 and has made into a popular animal on both Instagram and TikTok.

A video of Wally being walked by a girl went viral last year.

Henney and Wally hooked up after a friend of Henney’s in Florida asked for help relocating a group of alligators whose homes were destroyed because of land development.

Henney took Wally in his York County home, and they’ve been a happy pair ever since, according to USA Today.

“I’ve never met an alligator that will not bite you,” Henney told CBS News last year. “You fool around [with their head], their instinct is to grab you. He does not do it. You can reach in there and rub his tongue. He refuses to close his mouth. We don’t know why.”

Henney told the Philadelphia Inquirer last year that Wally “likes to give hugs” and has helped him battle depression.

But things weren’t so happy on Wednesday night when Henney tried to bring Wally inside the park, presumedly for peanuts and Cracker Jacks, and was turned down.

Although Wally has attended minor league games and Citizens Bank Park has hosted “Bark at the Park” events, the admission rules don’t apply to alligators ― even ones that provide emotional support.

The stadium’s policy on support animals only allows “certified service dogs or service dogs in training for guests with special needs” and states “all other animals are prohibited.”

HuffPost reached out to both Henney and the Philadelphia Phillies, but no one immediately responded.

However, Howard Eskin of Philadelphia Sports Radio station WIP was working the game when someone told him about the guy trying to get his gator into the stadium. He immediately walked over and took a photo of Wally.

It was ridiculous,” Eskin told HuffPost. “I understand, kind of, service animals, but he didn’t say that ― he said ‘emotional support animal.’”

Eskin said the guy wouldn’t leave and kept insisting on speaking to someone else higher in security.

“He bought a ticket for the gator,” Eskin said. “I should have asked where the seats were ― maybe they were infield.”

Eskin’s photo has since gone viral.

https://gizmodo.com/spider-venom-tested-as-erectile-dysfunction-treatment-1850879208

by Ed Cara

Gizmodo / 2023-09-27 17:54

Men looking for a better sex life might someday own their thanks to a spider. A Brazilian pharmaceutical company is developing a topical treatment for erectile dysfunction derived from the venom of Phoneutria nigriventer, aka the Brazilian wandering spider. The treatment has already cleared an early human trial and will soon be tested in a Phase II study.

P. nigriventer, also sometimes called the banana spider, is a relatively large and notorious arachnid in South America. Its bite in humans can cause elevated heart rate, convulsions, shock, and even death. But it can also cause priapism, a condition where the penis remains erect for hours on end. While priapism can be painful and even permanently damaging to the penis in severe cases, the bite’s unusual side-effect has long interested scientists looking for the next Viagra. Research on the venom has been ongoing for over a decade. And it seems that all that work is finally about to pay off.

Researchers at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil say they’ve created a synthetic version of the active ingredient in the venom responsible for causing erections, called BZ371A. The compound has been patented and is being further developed as a treatment by the company Biozeus. It’s used as a topical gel applied to the penis and appears to increase blood flow by increasing levels of nitric oxide, a molecule crucial to having erections.

Earlier this year, Biozeus announced that BZ371A has successfully passed a Phase I trial in humans. Phase I trials are mainly intended to confirm a drug’s safety, and BZ371A appeared to be well tolerated by the volunteers without causing any systemic side effects (often an advantage with topical treatments). The company is now forging ahead with a larger Phase II trial, set to start this month.

“Tests, so far, have demonstrated that the compound works with the application of a minimum amount and without any toxicity, as it is practically not detected in the bloodstream,” said Maria Elena de Lima, one of the drug’s developers and a professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, in a statement translated from Portuguese using Google.

Viagra and similar drugs are already pretty effective at treating erectile dysfunction. But not everyone responds to them and others have medical conditions or drug interactions that preclude their use. Biozeus claims that BZ371A relies on a novel mechanism of action, suggesting that it might be an attractive option for these individuals.

According to clinicaltrials.gov, the company’s Phase II trial will test BZ371A on patients who have undergone prostate removal, which can damage the nerves responsible for maintaining an erection. It will involve 72 people, who will be assigned into one of three groups. Some will receive a low dose of tadalafil (the active ingredient in Cialis) along with a topical placebo, others will get BZ371A plus a pill placebo, and the third group will receive both BZ371A and tadalafil. The study is expected to be completed by April 2024.

While the most attention-grabbing application of BZ371A might be for erectile dysfunction, the company is also testing whether it can help treat certain eye and lung diseases as well.

WTF is all I can say.

Can you name your baby ‘Methamphetamine Rules’ in Australia? https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/sep/19/can-you-name-your-baby-methamphetamine-rules-in-australia

Are there any names you can’t legally call your baby in Australia?

It’s a question many wanted answered by the ABC’s new show What the FAQ, says Kirsten Drysdale, a journalist at the public broadcaster. So when Drysdale gave birth to her third son in July, she decided to put it to the test.

She submitted his given name to New South Wales Births, Deaths and Marriages as “Methamphetamine Rules”.

“We thought we would submit the most outrageous name we could think of, assuming it would be rejected,” she said. “But it didn’t turn out that way – unfortunately Methamphetamine Rules slipped through the cracks.”

A spokesperson for Births, Deaths and Marriages said the “unusual name” had “unfortunately slipped through”.

They said they had strengthened the registry’s process in response to this “highly unusual event”, and would be working with the family to change the name.

However, the spokesperson said that doesn’t mean the original name goes away.

“A name registered at birth remains on the NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages Register forever,” the spokesperson said. “Even if the name is formally changed.”

Drysdale said she had been deciding between “Methamphetamine Rules” and “Nangs Rule”, referring to the Australian slang for nitrous oxide canisters used to get a fleeting high. But she decided against Nangs Rule in case the approver at the registry didn’t know what Nangs were and it was approved. “We chose methamphetamine thinking there’s no way that anyone will see that word and think it’s OK,” said Drysdale, who added her husband took some convincing to agree to the experiment. “But we were wrong.”*

Drysdale said she was under the impression that if a name was rejected by the registry, they choose one for you.

She had reached out to the registry for answers to her show’s segment on what names can be legally given to a baby in Australia which will air on Wednesday.

The spokesperson for NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages said it “does not choose what name parents give a child”.

However, the state government’s website detailing the rules states if a name for a baby cannot be registered and parents do not provide an alternative, the registrar may assign a name.

Under the rules, the registrar will not approve a name if it is offensive and not in the public interest. It also will not approve given names that are more than 50 characters, include symbols, or an official title or rank such as princess, Queen, or goddess.

Drysdale said she would not yet reveal what her baby’s new name is yet.

“My husband said maybe his nickname should be ‘Speedy’, but I’m sure he will develop his own nickname that’s appropriate to his real name and his personality,” Drysdale said.

“He’s a very chill child, a beautiful baby boy, so not anything like a meth user.”

http://stuppid.com/man-starts-gas-station-blaze-killing-spider-with-lighter/

CENTER LINE, Mich. – A man tried to kill a spider at a gas station using a lighter causing a dangerous fire. Using a lighter to kill the bug, he started a blaze that quickly engulfed the gas pump.

He somehow escaped serious injury and the gas station’s damage was contained to one pump, which was destroyed. The incident was recorded at a Center Line gas station.

Employee Susan Adams kept calm and hit the gas automatic stop button and quickly called the Center Line fire department.

The man grabbed a nearby extinguisher and put out the flames before firefighters arrived. Later he admitted what he did, saying he spotted a spider on his gas tank and because he’s deathly afraid of the critters.

Photo: Man starts gas station blaze trying to kill spider with lighter

He pulled out his lighter and decided to burn it. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what happened next.

Employees at the gas station have been having fun with the video ever since.

This charred fuel pump says it all. We are told his car was barely damaged from the flames. But his embarrassing mistake didn’t stop the man from coming back the next day as a customer.

“He was sorry,” Susan said. “He was sorry, he said he didn’t know. It is just one of those things that happen – stupidity.”

Adams said this serves as a reminder about being careful around gas pumps. Whether it is using a cell phone or static electricity, the smallest spark can cause a gas station fire.

The accident is expected to be covered by the station’s insurance.

I am not much of a YouTuber but this is truly great.