Tunes that soothe

Zookeepers in Croatia have found a way to treat an elephant's depression with classical music. The elephant (Suma) began showing symptoms of depression (stopped eating and co-operating, failing health) after her long-time companion passed away a few months ago. Nothing could perk her up, until a concert of classical music was held on zoo grounds, not far from the elephant. As soon as Suma heard the musicians warming up, she became excited. During the concert she placed her head up against the fence, closed her eyes and listened motionlessly for the duration of the performance. Her behaviour and health was much improved afterwards. Zookeepers quickly installed speakers in the elephant area and now play classical tunes daily. Suma is doing better and seems to prefer Mozart, but others are acceptable as well.

I've heard of classical music's ability to calm the mind and soothe the soul, and that it's good to play to fetuses and babies. I also know that when I try to listen to it (except for very few specific pieces) it irritates me, while some non-classical types of music have a beneficial effect on me. So, are these supposed health benefits exclusive to classical music, or can any music that one enjoys have a positive effect? In other words, is it just a matter of whatever works for you, or is there something in the pitch and frequency of classical music that's good for all of us on a molecular level, including other species? I've heard that certain noise frequencies have been used by the military to bring about upset stomachs and other illneses in the ranks of their enemies, thus affecting their fighting ability. I think they played jazz.

Darwin Awards nominee

You've all heard of the Darwin Awards, no? Awarded posthumously, the Darwin Awards salute deserving individuals for their contributions to the betterment of the human gene-pool, by removing themselves from it. Although the events are tragic, the methods by which these people accidentally killed themselves are so STUPID, you find yourself chuckling inside, saying "you know what, they are better off dead, for all of our sakes".

I heard this story on a local news station this morning. I'd like to nominate the following candidate for the next instalment of the awards: A 12 y/o dies after playing a version of a game called "black-out". This is apparently a popular game for teens here. You choke yourself until you pass-out or almost pass-out, which gives you some sort of a cheap high. In this case, our young nominee tied a belt around his neck to restrict airflow, but did it too well, and died in the process. He's poor mother has now started a crusade, teaching school-children everywhere about the dangers of playing such a game.

It is important to note that Darwin Award winners and candidates are not suicidal or lagally insane. These people were all considered "sane" and in no way intended to kill themselves, it just sort of happened...call it bad luck I guess. Past nominees include:

2005: USA. 19 y/o plots revenge on neighbor he believes stole a bottle of liquor from him. He decides to frame his neighbor by stabbing himself (with witnesses around), and calling 911 implicating the neighbor. His accusations fail. He dies, having stabbed himself in the heart.

2004: Italy. 28 y/o spy wannabe shows off his new gadgets at a bar. Pulls out a pen he claims is actually a pistol. To demonstrate, he points to his head and pulls the trigger. The spy pen-pistol works like a charm.

2003: Australia. Living Darwin Award. 26 y/o lit a firecracker he was holding between the cheeks of his buttocks. He stumbled as it went off, blowing away his gonads and lower insides. He lived to tell his story, but was left incontinent as well as sexually dysfunctional.

2002: USA. A man was killed by a train after his car broke down. Now, his car didn't stop dead on the tracks...no, the car was on the road. The man stepped away from the car and walked onto the tracks to make a call on his cell phone. The engineers on the train later recalled seeing the man on the tracks, talking on the cell phone and cupping his other ear to block off the sound of the approaching train, the noise of which was clearly interfering with his conversation.