#MND

[tattoos4mnd]

[bpod-bpod]

Neurotoxic Relationship

Lab-grown neural network model bearing dysregulated TDP-43 protein – a feature of neurons in certain neurodegenerative diseases – reveals accumulated NPTX2 protein, that is confirmed in the brains of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal lobar degeneration. NPTX2 could thus represent a novel therapeutic target

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Marian Hruska-Plochan and colleagues

Department of Quantitative Biomedicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Nature, February 2024

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[bespokeredmayne]

How to make Eddie’s birthday a happy one

Fans’ annual fund drive for Eddie Redmayne’s Jan. 6 birthday, is on! It’s your annual chance to support Eddie +a cause dear to him for more than a decade now, since his Oscar-winning portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.

Even if you can’t donate, please share our posts to help create awareness of this deserving organization + those affected by this devastating disease. The JustGiving link +QR code are in the graphic + below.

[shutupcrime]

Hear me out-

A Muppet’s Midsummer Night’s Dream

Theseus, Hippolyta, Lysander, Hermia, Helena and Demetrius are all esteemed Shakespearean actors who keep to the original script, whilst all the fairies and some of the mechanicals are muppets muppeting about with the occasional soliloquy.

I present to you my vision:

Gonzo as Oberon

Believe me when I tell you Gonzo has RANGE. I think his background as an alien will help him embody the more mystical elements of Oberon and we know from his performance as the narrator in a Muppets Christmas Carol he’s a natural leading man.

Rizzo as Puck

Name a more iconic duo than Gonzo and Rizzo the rat? You can’t- of course you fucking can’t. Their chemistry is off the charts, celestial dare I say, platonic soulmates the like of which us mere mortals cannot comprehend. On top of the incredible back and forth they’ll bring to Oberon and Puck, Rizzo has a sense of mischief and is just the right amount of a whimsy can’t do nothing right boy to bring a really endearing vision of Puck to the stage.

Miss Piggy as Titania

Is it controversial to pair up Miss Piggy with someone who’s not her usual leading man? Sure, but bear with me I have a vision. Oberon and Titania are at odds for most of the play and I can definitely see a world in which Miss Piggy beats his ass in front of all the other fairies. Also the role of a glamorous ethereal queen? Are you kidding? Miss Piggy is going to body this role heart and soul.

Kermit as Bottom

Remember when I told you to bear with me? I would never break up a duo like Kermit and his beloved Miss Piggy, are you mad? Bottom and Titania spend the whole play smooching and mucking about with the fairies, not only do these two have the chemistry but it also gives Miss Piggy a chance to serenade her beloved Kermie. The casting also works on a meta level with Kermit playing an over ambitious actor somewhat hemmed in by an eccentric troupe. The only question is with the iconic transformation scene, do we cast a human actor who turns into Kermit, or do we just have regular ole Kermit with some donkey ears? I need the thoughts of the public desperately.

The Mechanicals:

Fozzie Bear as Snug

Waka, waka

Beaker as Francis Flute

Literally his worst nightmare is playing Thisbe.

Pepe the Prawn as Robin Starveling

Just a weird lil guy pretending to be moonlight

Bunsen as Tom Snout

Tom Snouts a tinker- plus he can do Pyramus and Thisbe’s special effects

Scooter as Peter Quince

Typical theatre manager energy.

The Fairies:

The Chickens as Titania’s Attendants

To be honest I can see the Henson company making a lot of cool original puppets for the fairies but you can’t have the muppets without some dancing chickens.

Janice and Animal should also get special cameos as Peaseblossom and Mustardseed respectively and naturally Waldorf and Statler show up to heckle Pyramus and Thisbe at the end.

Disney- make it happen

[middlenightdream]

beatrix can’t use the kitchen

[the-iron-shoulder]

Hey everyone, i recorded another cover! I’m super excited for the ongoing Kickstarter for the unreleased expansion for Magi-Nation Duel (i was OBSESSED with MND when I was a kid), so i felt compelled to return to the soundtrack for the Magi-Nation GBC game. And as you might know, there are few things on this planet that i love as much as a good boss theme, so of course i decided to do the boss theme!

i kept the first loop synth-heavy to honor the GBC origins of the piece, then i switched to real strings (guitars, taishogoto) for the second loop. I bring back the synths for the end, though!

all instruments are played live by me, no automation.

instrument list: synth x2, bass guitar, taiko, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, alto taishogoto

[esmesmesme]

Yep, it's MND. This is the most able bodied I will ever be again. I will need a gastric tube, wheelchair, artificial voice, ventilation and then I will die. If I'm very lucky it will take me more than 5 years to do those things. I will not see my children finish primary school, I will not play with them in the playground, I will not support them as young adults.

My partner will have to care for both me and the children, and work to support us before becoming a grieving single parent to grieving children. I hope things will get better for them after that but that feels like wishing for my own death.

I'm not okay with it. I don't see how I can possibly be okay with this. But I need to work that out because it's happening anyway. Me crying about it all the time only makes things harder for me and everyone else.

[vincentreproches]

[goodvibesatpeace]

Rob Burrow

Oh, valiant heart, whose spirit burns so bright,

Rob Burrow, a beacon in the darkest night.

Amidst the turmoil of relentless strife,

You found your solace on the field of life.

With every tackle, ruck, and try you made,

You etched your name upon the canvas frayed.

A master sorcerer with an oval ball,

Your moves enchanted all who watched your call.

But fate had other plans, a cruel decree,

A diagnosis that would set your spirit free.

Motor neuron disease, a torturous foe,

Yet you refused to let it break your flow.

With courage that would make a lion cower,

You faced the darkness with unwavering power.

Your voice became a beacon of resilience,

A testament to hope and perseverance.

Through every trial, you stood tall and bold,

A symbol of defiance, a story to be told.

The rugby world united in your plight,

Bound together by your unwavering light.

Your spirit soared above the pain and doubt,

An inspiration to all who saw you out.

You taught us that adversity can be a guide,

To find strength within and never hide.

And now, dear Rob, as your journey nears its end,

Your legacy will forever transcend.

A legend on the field, a fighter off,

Your spirit will forever shine, a living scoff.

So let us raise a glass in your honour today,

To Rob Burrow, whose courage knows no sway.

May your memory live on forever bright,

A testament to hope, a beacon in the night.

[scotianostra]

Very sad news  tonight, Scotland Rugby star and all round good guy Doddie Weir has passed away after a six year fight with Motor neurone disease.  Rest in Peace Big Man.

[alswarriorsa]

Out of Control

I’m spiralling. It feels like I’m free falling without a parachute, about to collide with Mother Earth with a zero chance of survival, and in a way, that’s what MND is.

It robs you of your independence, it robs you of your dignity and eventually it takes your life.

I find myself feeling so angry, sad and frustrated all at once. I can’t express myself properly, I hate the impact this has on me and also the people around me.

I realise that I need therapy, and soon. I’m not coping with this at all, and perhaps it’s just that I’m processing what this all means for my immediate future.

It’s so hard to stay positive when the debt calls keep coming and the universe never lets up. When your family aren’t prepared to help. When people you know that can afford to help, just scroll past your pleas for assistance.

And I know I’m both right and wrong on many of these things, but my emotions are a mess and I can’t adequately deal with anything at the moment.

I want to be held and reassured, but that one thing I want I’m not getting because I’m lashing out.

Today I’ve been jealous of a kitten. Because I too want to be held and adored, but my reality is undignified loo visits, mobility assistance, work and work admin - not the light and fluffy stuff.

Who would adore an angry person who’s a pain in the ass? Pass the kitten.

My conversations don’t get to be fun. They are always about what needs to be done or happen next. What PMBs cover, or don’t, the wheelchair quotes and the next invoice.

And in the middle of all this I free fall.

Finding joy would be great, but I don’t know where to start. It’s practically evading me.

I want to feel like a normal person, for just one day, where I’m me, and not the disabled patient.

I just want my life back.

[tattoos4mnd]

Another little tattoo I did for a friend - inspired by the line ‘how do you write like you’re running out of time?’ from the musical Hamilton.

[bpod-bpod]

Problems with Excitability

Details of the structure and functional changes that underlie neurons' impaired excitability characteristic of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (motor neuron disease)

Read the published research article here

Image from work by Peter Harley and colleagues

Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Kings College London, London, UK

Image originally published with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Published in Cell Reports, November 2023

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[kwebtv]

The Caesars - ITV - September 20, 1968 - October 28, 1968

Historical Drama (6 episodes)

Running Time: 60 minutes

Stars:

Roland Culver as Augustus

Eric Flynn as Germanicus

André Morell as Tiberius

Barrie Ingham as Sejanus

Ralph Bates as Caligula

Freddie Jones as Claudius

Sonia Dresdel as Livia

Nicola Pagett as Messalina

Suzan Farmer as Livilla

William Corderoy as Drusus Julius Caesar

Derek Newark as Agrippa Postumus

Caroline Blakiston as Agrippina the Elder

Martin Potter as Nero Julius Caesar

Jonathan Collins as Tiberius Gemellus

Pollyanna Williams as Julia Drusilla

Jenny White as Julia Livilla

Karol Keyes as Agrippina the Younger

Barbara Murray as Milonia Caesonia

Jerome Willis as Naevius Sutorius Macro

Kevin Stoney as Thrasyllus of Mendes

Donald Eccles as Marcus Cocceius Nerva

John Phillips as Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso

John Paul as Cassius Chaerea

Joan Heath as Munatia Plancina

Wanda Ventham as Ennia Thrasylla

Sean Arnold as Marcus Aemlius Lepidus

John Normington as Gaius Julius Callistus

John Woodvine as Publius Vitellius the Younger

Gerald Harper as Lucius Vitellius the Elder

Mark Hawkins as Mnester

Roger Rowland as Quintus Veranius

Charles Lloyd-Pack as Crispus

George Sewell as Ennius

[waybackwanderer]

M a c N e t  D; e v e l o p m e n t Jan 1997 Archived Web Page

[middlenightdream]

THE MAIN CHARACTERS