In most areas of the world, uttering the name “Madonna” will surely get some reaction.  Ever since she began her reign as one of the queens of pop, Madonna has been all over the news for better or worse.  Of interest to many of my readers, this time, Madonna is being sued for trademark infringement; and for none other than being the “Material Girl” that she is.

On August 19, 2010, LA Triumph filed a suit against Madonna for Madonna’s new clothing line, “Material Girl”.  Apparently, LA Triumph has been selling a line with the same name since 1997, while Madonna just recently launched her line.  Should have thought of it sooner Maddy.

The problem is that both LA Triumph and Madonna are selling clothes under the same name, at the same stores (mainly stores like Nordstrom’s and other major department stores), to the same clientele, at about the same price.  LA Triumph’s lawyers state that Madonna will overshadow their client’s line, and confuse buyers.

So what do you think?  Should LA Triumph be able to stop Madonna, the true “Material Girl”, from selling clothes under a name that she popularized?  After all, we are living in a material world.   

It is truly sad how many lives have been affected by earthquakes recently.  However, as a society, we constantly adapt to devastating situations by modifying ourselves or the world around us.  This is exactly what Wang Wenxi of China did.

Wenxi created and patented the first earthquake-proof bed.  Essentially, the bed has a high-load bearing board and two cupboards on either end.  In the event of an earthquake, the bed essentially becomes a stronghold, protecting the sleeper from debris and falling building pieces.  The cupboards allow one to store food and other essentials so that the user can stay inside for multiple days until rescue.  Pretty ingenious.  Let us just hope that one of the beds will never have to be utilized.   

While scouring the news today, something that is nothing short of remarkable caught my eyes.  Some of us can remember when we were children, the adults in our lives would tease us that if you eat a watermelon seed, a watermelon will grow in your stomach.  Maybe those jokesters were not so far off.

A 75-year old man was taken to the hospital after having increased difficulty breathing, which was originally attributed to his emphysema.  However, after careful examination, doctors were stunned.  As it turns out, the man had a one half inch sprouted pea plant growing in his lung.  Seriously.

Doctors stated that they did not recognize the pea plant sooner because it was almost completely undetectable amidst the man’s already swollen lung tissue.  Luckily, surgeons were able to remove the pea plant, finding that the pea seed indeed had a shoot growing out of it.  When asked, experts said that it is not impossible for people to inhale foreign objects into their airway system.  It is when individuals have lung issues already that prohibit them from coughing the object out of their system that problems may arise.

Even for the avid gardener, I would recommend not trying this at home.