James Fishman | Sunstone Online

Bulldogs Compete in Local Beauty Pageant

Yesterday, Drake University celebrated its bulldog mascot in the 34^th annual Drake Relays Beautiful Bulldog Contest. Held in Des Moines, Iowa, the contest participants include bulldogs of all ages. Creatively dressed as pirates, ballerinas, bikers and more, the bulldogs kicked off the Drake Relays event which will continue throughout the week. This year’s contest winner was Huckleberry, a four-year-old bulldog who belongs to Steven and Stephanie Hein of Norwalk, Iowa.

Here are some photos from the event:

Breast Milk Jewelry: Cute or Creepy?

Lots of young mothers are backing a new trend: jewelry made from breast milk. Though many have deemed the idea adorable and meaningful, others have called the creations “gross” or “creepy.”

The keepsakes, with include pendants and bracelets, were first offered on craft site Etsy.com by Mommy Milk Creations. Run by Allicia Mogavero, the online shop transforms breast milk into precious mementos by preserving it in resin and shaping it into figures like tiny hands or feet. All the buyer needs to do is provide two tablespoons of their milk in a zip-lock bag.

Mogavero was surprised by the enthusiastic response. She can “barely keep up” with orders, she said. Customers have called the jewelry a “gorgeous reminder of such a special time,” and a wonderful way to commemorate “the bonding experience you had with your child.”

Ms. Mogavero explained how she came up with the idea.

“You only make breast milk for such a short period and it was amazing to me that this milk that I made was able to make my child thrive as well as he was. This was simply amazing to me but the thought of him no longer nursing and be not making milk was sad in a way.

I thought long and hard about a way for me to preserve the short time that I made the milk. Through lots of trials and experiments I came up with a system to preserve my breast milk.

I made myself a bracelet and started making them for family members with their breast milk, word of mouth requests started coming in and the rest is history!”

What do you think of breast milk jewelry?

Angelina Jolie Funds New Afghanistan School with New Jewelery Line

E! News has revealed that Angelina Jolie plans to fund several schools for girls in Afghanistan with the help of a new jewelery line. According to the report, Jolie has opened a girls-only primary school in a high refugee population outside of Kabul. As a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Jolie has funded numerous efforts to improve education and quality of life for women in Afghanistan. The new school educates around 300 girls. Jolie’s first girls’ school was opened in east Afghanistan in 2010.

The new ‘Style of Jolie’ jewelery line was created by Jolie and jewelery maker Robert Procop. Jolie’s engagement ring was designed by Procop in 2012.

E! News quotes the actress: “Beyond enjoying the artistic satisfaction of designing these jewels, we are inspired by knowing our work is also serving the mutual goal of providing for children in need.”

Procop’s website supports her statement, saying: “the first funds from our collaboration together have been dedicated the Education Partnership for Children in Conflict (Jolie’s organization) to build a school in Afghanistan.”

In an interview, Procop added that it was “an honor to have the opportunity to be part of creating this line with Angie, as we both believe every child has right to an education.”

Mother Hears Son’s Voice For the First Time with Cochlear Implant

A recent video has captured the immediate effects of a revolutionary cochlear implant on 26-year-old mother Amy. Cochlear implants are electronic devices that are surgically placed in the ear to provide a sense of sound. Amy was born deaf, and heard her son’s voice for the first time thanks to the medical breakthrough.

The video, posted on YouTube by Amy’s aunt Catherine Arnold, shows Amy’s emotional response to the new sensations. “I feel weird,” she said, tearing up. “It feels so different.”

After the experience, Arnold wrote: “This is just a start to the road ahead to learn what sound is and where it comes from. It was the most amazing day ever to be a witness to this medical miracle and a true gift from God.”

Six months later, Arnold reveals that Amy to interpret sound and enjoy music thanks to hard work and sound therapy.

“Her pronunciation has improved vastly and she can hear words and especially music!” Arnold said. “Naturally, after a lifetime of lip reading and signing, it is still necessary for her to rely on that skill to have conversation in a group. Every day is new and sometimes an exhausting experience.

“She loves the challenge to improve yet more and she is a joy to be around. By the way, Amy has a high school diploma and college degree! This girl never let anything get in her way to be her best!”

Fascinating Study Links 5 Disorders

Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has just concluded a fascinating study that could revolutionize how doctors look at autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, depression and schizophrenia. In their study, they have found that these five disorders share a common genetic root.

As study leader Dr. Jordan Smoller told NBC News, “We have been able to discover specific genetic variants that seem to overlap among disorders that we think of as very clinically different.”

They found markers that were more common in people with one of these disorders than with others. They also found mutations in two genes that help to govern the balance of calcium in the brain cells.

Scientists came to their conclusions after looking at the genetic code of more than 33,000 patients with mental disorders and 27,888 patients without these issues. It was actually the most comprehensive study on genetic links to psychiatric illness that was ever conducted.

Dr Smoller explained some of the ramifications of the study. As he said, “Significant progress has been made in understanding the genetic risk factors underlying psychiatric disorders. Our results provide new evidence that may inform a move beyond descriptive syndromes in psychiatry and towards classification based on underlying causes.”

Oscar Acceptance Speech Highlights

The Oscars, which took place on Sunday, yielded exciting results.
Ben Affleck’s ‘Argo’ won Best Picture, while Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor for his role in ‘Lincoln’.
The much-loved Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress for her leading role in ‘Silver Linings Playbook’, and newcomer Ang Lee won the award for Best Director for his film “Life of Pi’.
Anne Hathaway won an award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ‘Les Miserables’, and Christoph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for his role in ‘Django Unchained’.

Here are some of the highlights from the event: