Earth Shaking Event

An important earth-shaking event is about to occur. Be ready for September 19th, for once again it is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Be part of the pirate revolution.

Don't be a weak willed lily livered land lubber! Open your mind to the pirate experience, say "Aye" and "Arrr" a few times and soon you will find that your inner pirate will be released.

Follow the simple instructions given here: How to Talk Like A Pirate, practice several hours a day, and by September the 19th you will be indistinguishable from any of the other pirates who show their true mettle on that great day!

Dead Blog Sketch

Jut substitute "blog" for "parrot" ...

Retirement

I started this blog a long time ago, back in the Paleozoic era when blogs where just beginning to form out of swirling primordial vapors. It began as an experiment to answer the question, "What is a blog?" And once answered, my intention was to just stop and move on to greater things.

I never really intended to keep it going for so long but like the Energizer bunny it just kept going and going and going and ....

So finally I'm taking pity on it and retiring it to pasture. If you actually liked this blog and read it then don't despair. I will continue to post the sort of eclectic, "this is my viewpoint", "the latest album from Opeth is great" sort of stuff to my other blog (see the fabulous rotating widget below d for the RSS feed.)

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

Isn't that cool? It's amazing what you can get from Feedburner for free. If you just want to go to the site then click here: My Scientology Blog.

So, that's it. This blog is no more. It has expired and gone to meet its maker. Bereft of life it rests in peace. If I hadn't nailed it to the Internet, it would be pushing up the daisies.

The end.

FDA finally admits Mercury is dangerous

You would think that a substance which requires Haz Mat handling and special disposal would be the last thing to put into your mouth. In fact in Massachusetts, a spill of more than two tablespoons of Mercury requires reporting to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, in addition to Haz Mat handling and special disposal.

You would think that a substance that helped create the phrase "mad as a hatter" because it drove hat makers who used it crazy would be the last thing to put into your mouth.

You would think that a substance that is so toxic that people are advised not to eat fish that contain it would be the last thing to put into your mouth.

But you'd be wrong because for over a hundred years people have been allowing dentists to put this toxic substance into their mouths and they have even paid the dentists to do it.

As usual with issues like this, Europe is way ahead of the US: Sweden, Norway and Denmark ban Mercury Fillings. But all is not lost dear reader, for the FDA, that stalwart organization which works tirelessly in the interests of the people of America and not for the drug companies (who fund the FDA) or manufacturers of toxic mercury amalgam fillings (what me sarcastic? never), yes the FDA itself has just admitted that Mercury may possibly be dangerous to humans.

I hear your gasps of astonishment but don't be too amazed, the admission was not made voluntarily. Several consumer protection organizations had to sue the FDA to force it to make the statement. You can read more here: Mercury Fillings Shattered! FDA, ADA Conspiracy to Poison Children with Toxic Mercury Fillings Exposed in Groundbreaking Lawsuit.

Maybe this is the way to go with the FDA: sue them into admitting the truth. Other methods of getting them to actually do their job and protect the American people seem to be ineffective.

Antipsychotic Drugs Kill One in Twenty Elderly Patients

From the Guardian, May 26, 2008:

Elderly dementia patients prescribed antipsychotic drugs are at three times the risk of a serious health problem or dying within a month of treatment, compared to those not given the drugs, Canadian researchers said on Monday.

The medications have been used by doctors to treat aggression in people who are not psychotic or schizophrenic, but there are risks for elderly dementia patients prescribed the drugs, according to Dr. Paula Rochon of the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Toronto, and colleagues.

"Of residents newly admitted to a nursing home, 17 percent are started on antipsychotic drugs within 100 days of their admission," often for short periods to control delirium, delusions or aggressive behavior, Rochon wrote.

"Antipsychotic drugs should be prescribed with caution even for short-term therapy," she concluded in the report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Three years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration required warnings on antipsychotic drugs notifying patients and doctors of the risks of heart problems or infections in elderly dementia patients.

Previous research has suggested the drugs cause dry mouth and difficulty swallowing, which can lead to pneumonia. Side effects such as dizziness can increase the risk of falls.
The seven-year study of more than 40,000 people age 65 or older -- half in nursing homes -- found 5.2 percent of the nursing homes residents died within a month of being given one of the newer class of so-called atypical antipsychotic drugs...

Atypical antipsychotic drugs, which the study said had been available for about a decade, include risperidone, marketed by Johnson & Johnson as Risperdal; olanzapine, made by Eli Lilly and Co under the brand name Zyprexa; and quetiapine, sold by AstraZeneca Plc under the brand name Seroquel.

Complete article here: The Guardian: Antipsychotics given for dementia pose risks-study

There is life on Mars!

There is life on Mars!

Here is the proof.

The latest picture from Phoenix Probe.

For Memorial Day and our Military

Whether you agree with the war in Iraq or not I think it is important to acknowledge the soldiers themselves. These are men who are willing to give up everything to protect us. In that spirit, here is a really cool video story by Celestial Navigations especially for Memorial Day.

Bloggers Unite for Human Rights

How important are human rights? Well, without them you can be imprisoned without trial, you can have your property taken away, you can be enslaved, you can be discriminated against because of your race or beliefs, you can be tried in a secret court, you can have your letters opened and your phone tapped without due process, you can be arrested for expressing your opinion, you can be tortured and more.

Why should you learn about human rights? It is vital to know what your rights are, otherwise they will be taken away from you and all the abuses of the centuries, abuses that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was written to stop, will come about again.

Where can I learn about my human rights?
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Abridged Version)
- Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Full Version)

What organizations should I know about and help?
- United Nations
- Youth For Human Rights
- Human Rights Watch (formerly Helsinki Watch)
- Amnesty International
- UNICEF
- Bloggers Unite

At last a portable reader that works!

Have you checked out The Amazon Kindle. It's awesome!

It's as thin as a pencil. It holds over 200 books. It has a hi-res screen that looks and read like real paper. You can connect up to Amazon wirelessly and download books directly from Amazon. It uses cell phone technology so you don't need to find a hot-spot, it's always connected. You can view Word docs on it. You get newspapers delivered to it daily. And more. I watched some of the videos and this thing looks to me like the first really viable ebook reading device. This is the iPod for books. There are more than 115,000 titles available for it and (you won't find this on the Amazon site) you can read books in the Mobi format too. (More on Mobi.) So what are you waiting for? Go get it!

My First Smart Car

It's the day after Earth Day and I just saw my first Smart Car. They actually look better IRL than they do in the pictures I've seen.

These babies get 33mpg city and 40mpg highway, not quite as good as my Honda Hybrid but not bad at all and they are a lot cheaper. So once again, thinking of the environment will save you money!

Read more here: Smart Car Offers Drivers New High MPG Option