Palm-sized premature baby among world's smallest. Many babies much larger than this "trophy baby" routinely aborted.

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / January 29, 2012

By ALICIA CHANG

The Associated Press

Published: December 16, 2011 

LOS ANGELES | At birth, Melinda Star Guido was so tiny she could fit into the palm of her doctor's hand. Weighing just 9½ ounces — less than a can of soda — she is among the smallest babies ever born in the world.

VS: In a barbaric medical twist, many babies much larger than Melinda are cruelly torn from the womb (some still living) and deposited in trash bins behind some of our "best" hospitals!

Most infants her size don't survive, but doctors are preparing to send her home in early January 2012.

Melinda was born premature at 24 weeks in late August and is thought to be the second-smallest baby to survive in the U.S. and third-smallest in the world. She spent the early months cocooned in an incubator in the neonatal intensive care unit in Los Angeles.

 

Despite hurdles, Melinda lived to her original due date. Doctors say it is too early to say how she will fare developmentally and physically when she grows up.

For now, her 22-year-old mother sits at her bedside almost every day and stays overnight whenever she can.

Recently, Haydee Ibarra caressed Melinda through the portholes of the incubator where nurses pinned up a homemade sign bearing her name. Now 3½ months old and weighing 4 pounds, Melinda gripped Ibarra's pinky finger and yawned.

"Melinda, Melinda," she cooed at her daughter dressed in a polka dot onesie. "You're awake today."

PROBLEMS IN PREGNANCY

During her pregnancy, Ibarra suffered from high blood pressure, which can be dangerous for mother and fetus. She was transferred from a hospital near her San Fernando Valley home to the county's flagship hospital, which was better equipped to handle high-risk pregnancies.

There was a problem with the placenta, the organ that nourishes the developing fetus (I prefer "unborn child.") The fetus, however, was not getting proper nutrition, blood and oxygen. Doctors knew Melinda would weigh less than a pound, but they were surprised at how small and fragile she was.

"The first few weeks, it was touch and go. None of us thought the baby was going to make it," said Dr. Rangasamy Ramanathan, who oversees premature infants at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

Even if she survived, doctors told Ibarra and her husband Yovani Guido, children born so extremely prematurely can have developmental delays and impairments such as blindness, deafness or cerebral palsy.

Ibarra, who previously had a stillborn child, told doctors to do whatever necessary to help her baby.

"They said, ‘We'll take the chance. Please try.' So we said. ‘OK we'll try,'?" Ramanathan recalled.

Melinda was delivered by cesarean section at 24 weeks and was immediately transferred to the NICU where a team of doctors and nurses kept watch around the clock. Infants born before 37 weeks are considered premature.

Melinda was kept insulated in an incubator and was hooked up to a machine to aid her breathing. She got nutrition through a feeding tube. Her mother said her skin felt like plastic because it was so thin.

"It takes a lot of good care and a lot of good luck. Most of them don't survive," said pediatrician Dr. Edward Bell of the University of Iowa who keeps an online database of the world's smallest surviving babies who were less than a pound at birth. The list currently contains 126 babies dating to 1936.

http://www.theledger.com/article/20111216/NEWS/111219491/1364/COLUMNISTS0308?Title=Palm-Sized-Premature-Baby-Among-World-s-Smallest-

Church-Burning Video Used to Promote Atheist Event at Fort Bragg. Do we send in the Marines to save base from the atheists?

Verne Strickland Blogmaster / January 28, 2012

Posted in Top Stories | 1,265 comments

Jan 27, 2012

Atheists are using a music video that celebrates the burning of churches and synagogues to promote an upcoming atheist-themed festival at Fort Bragg.

“Rock Beyond Belief” is scheduled to be held on the parade field at Fort Bragg in March. The event was created in part as a response to a Billy Graham Evangelistic Association event that was held last year.

FOLLOW TODD ON FACEBOOK!

Justin Griffith, who organized “Rock Beyond Belief,” said he was personally offended that a Christian evangelical event like “Rock the Fort” was held on the base.

“We felt it was entirely inappropriate for anyone to say your current religion is wrong,” Griffith told Fox News& Commentary. “We view all soldiers as already spiritually complete. Whatever their current religious preference is has no bearing on how fit they are as a soldier or anything related to military business.”

Griffith confirmed the lineup includes atheist speakers, a rapper who raps about evolution and a “kiddy pool” where boys and girls will be able to scientifically walk on water.

There will also be a number of bands performing – the most famous of which is Aiden. They are featured in a video on the “Rocky Beyond Belief” website that includes images of burning churches and bloody crosses.
The website Christianfighterpilot.com was the first to raise questions about the music.

The website labels the song as the “atheist anthem.”

Among the lyrics: “Love how the burn your synagogues, love how they torch your holy books.”

The group is no stranger to strong lyrics. Another of their songs says, “F*** your God, F*** your faith in the end. There’s no religion.”

Griffith said that particular song would not be performed at the festival, but defended the video of burning churches.

“You can buy their albums in Wal-Mart, a Christian-friendly store,” Griffith said. “If you have issues with bands that sometimes have swear words, or naughty words, or shocking imagery, that’s a part of the First Amendment.”

Benjamin Abel, a spokesman for Fort Bragg told Fox News & Commentary that they were launching a review of the bands scheduled to perform along with their content.

“This is a family-friendly event and we expect the entertainment will meet the standards of decency that would be typical on a top-40 music station,” Abel said. “We owe it to our soldiers and families on post to make sure it is.”

As for the graphic, anti-Christian lyrics – Abel said “I would have to think we would have to take a very close look at that kind of lyric.”

“I don’t know how family-friendly that is,” he said.

Griffith said there is absolutely no controversy about Aiden’s upcoming performance.

“It’s a little shocking to hear some of this stuff,” he said. “I’m sure you understand that these types of shocking things are not going to be front and center for a rock concert that is on a military base. This is not controversy. This is not a real story.”

But if that’s the case, why is there a video of the band performing in front of burning churches on the “Rock Beyond Belief” website?

The military could not answer that question.

“I can’t speak to somebody’s website,” Abel said. “We are reviewing the material and will ensure that event organizers understand that we will have to hold them to a certain level of decency.”

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/fort-bragg-to-host-anti-religion-event.html

http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/fort-bragg-to-host-anti-religion-event.html

Hey, jerk, you're not Verne -- that would be me!

 Filed January 24, 2012

Commenter on WWAY-TV3 news story falsifies identity, signing under name of Verne Strickland, conservative writer who supports GOP conservative Ilario Pantano – not liberal Democrat Mike McIntyre.

VS: It’s not Hallowe’en, but the liberal loonies are already coming out of their lairs and writing under falsified identities using the names of conservative activists. A story posted on the WWAY TV3 Web site reporting on Congressman Mike McIntyre’s campaign fund-raising was followed by this comment from a reader:

Go Mike!

Submitted by Verne Strickland (not verified) on Mon, 01/23/2012 - 2:06pm.

I'm proud to be a McIntyre supporter and to see that people in our area have enough sense to invest in the campaign of a level-headed and moderate representative.

VS: Such falsification of an identity is illegal under the rules of the WWAY-TV public forum – and on most established comment sections on the Internet. Unfortunately, it is easy for dishonest commenters to (anonymously) assume the identity of another person in order to post a misleading comment purported to be the statement of that individual.

In this case, the mischievous commenter chose to use my name under a comment praising liberal Democrat Congressman Mike McIntyre. It wasn’t my statement. I am a conservative blogger and investigative journalist. I support GOP conservative candidate Ilario Pantano.

While this act did me no personal or permanent damage, it does signal that liberal skullduggery is starting early in this 2012 election season. Actually, to be viewed as a threat to the campaign of Mike McIntyre is something I view as a badge of honor. It proves that the views with which I am identified are hitting the liberals where it hurts. I am complimented by that bit of notoriety.