Are young people facing a brain cancer epidemic caused by cell phones?

 AS IT STANDS 

By Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 06/07/2009 01:27:20 AM PDT

It always troubles me when people get sick, or even die, from a product that hasn't been thoroughly tested.

You see that kind of thing often in the pharmaceutical market. Big companies are more concerned about releasing new products to make a profit than they are about the long-term effects these products may have.

Despite the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) efforts, the practice of releasing products to the public before their long-term effects have been thoroughly studied, continues to this day.

Take cell phones for example. The FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is supposed to make sure that radiation-emitting products, such as microwave ovens, TV sets, cell phones, and laser products meet radiation standards.

According to the CDRH Web site (www.fda.gov) “the center monitors devices throughout the product life cycle, including a nationwide post-market surveillance system.” If that's the case, why are the FDA's only mobile phone studies relatively short term, with absolutely no data available on the consequences of childhood exposure to cell phones? Click here to read the rest.

photo via www.cafemom.com/.

One in seven scientists make up fake results, say peers

From Times Online...

By Hannah Devlin

 Faking scientific data and failing to report commercial conflicts of interest are far more prevalent than previously thought, a study suggests.

One in seven scientists says that they are aware of colleagues having seriously breached acceptable conduct by inventing results. And around 46 per cent say that they have observed fellow scientists engage in “questionable practices”, such as presenting data selectively or changing the conclusions of a study in response to pressure from a funding source.

However, when scientists were asked about their own behavior only 2 per cent admitted to having faked results.

Click here to read the rest.

Image via www.biojobblog.com

The safest play to live in the world is New Zealand

 From Ynet  Israel News

Far, far away: New Zealand is the safest place in the world, while Israel is almost at the bottom of the new Global Peace Index (GPI), an annual ranking of 144 of the world's nations based of how peaceful they are, which was published Wednesday by British newspaper The Guardian.

The top of the list saw an overthrow, after Iceland lost its title as the safest place in the world and fell to the fourth place, following the financial collapse in the northern European island.

 Israel ranked fourth from the end, falling one place compared to last year. Even Sudan and Congo are considered safer. The Jewish state is followed by only Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq, which is still defined as the most dangerous country in the world despite the improvement in its security following the US activity there.

To find out where the United States ranks and more world statistics click here.

image via Google Images

How long do you plan on living? Find out you life expectancy here...

From the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network...

How long can you expect to live? We developed the Longevity Game to give you a peek into your future by identifying the factors that can lead to a healthier, more productive life.

At Northwestern Mutual, we know a thing or two about longevity because we’ve been tracking statistics that impact life since 1857. And that wealth of knowledge helped us shape the Longevity Game.

Through the game, we hope to give you insight into your daily lifestyle—plus tips on how you can make some positive changes.

 Click here to find out your expected life span.

Image via Google Images

Trolls Exposed: what kind of troll is disrupting your online community?

I've encountered Satanists - The Wren's Nest who ran my July 20, 2008 column IRS Recognized The Church of Satan as a Religion

and now I've strolled into a troll's cave....

UPDATE JUNE 3rd

Check out The Joe Blow Report blog.

What's really interesting about "Joe Blow" is that he's threatening me -

to paraphrase:

"If he (Dave) honestly thought I, or any of us, were actually paranoid and hostile as he claimed, I doubt he would have the termerity, let alone the courage to say it directly to me."

What does a coward afraid to use his own name think he's doing by questioning my courage?

I made the mistake of making a comment on his (their) little hate-filled blog because he (they) devoted a post to attacking my column on trolls. Please read his (their) blog and see what you think. I probably should have realized he (they) are a paranoid lot of losers and just let them be. The thinly veiled threats warning me that I didn't have a clue who I was talking to is just further proof of the hate that is spewing out from The Joe Blow Report blog.

-Dave

Dave Stancliff/For the Times-Standard

Posted: 05/31/2009 01:27:12 AM PDT

Don't feed the trolls.

You know the ones I'm talking about. They prey on news forums, chat rooms, and other online communities. Their purpose: to disrupt any conversation or thread, and to get an emotional response from some unwary person. Ignoring them and not responding to their posts is your best option.

What kind of people are trolls? They're cowards. Lonely cowards. Their posts seldom show any real imagination and often resort to childish name-calling.

Click here to read the rest.

image via Google Images

Savant Art: A window into their formidable brains

Click here to see a collection of art created by various prodigious savant artists from around the world. Each piece of art has been chosen because it shines some light on the way the mind of a savant works.

The above image

Pi Landscape, by Daniel Tammet

Daniel Tammet shot to fame when he set a European record for the number of digits of pi he recited from memory (22,514). He has also learned Icelandic in a week and made up his own language. How does he do it?
He attributes his ability to remember numbers to his mixture of autism and synaesthesia. The autism focused his mind on numbers at a very young age, while the synaesthesia allows him to visualize each number as having a particular shape, color and texture.
This leads him to a number landscape that is easier to remember than a simple string of numbers.
See Inside the mind of an autistic savant
(Image: Daniel Tammet)

Grin and Bear It: Ancient Death-Smile Potion Decoded?

 From National Geographic...

By James Owen

Thousands of years before the Joker gassed comic book victims into a grinning death, Phoenician colonists on the island of Sardinia (map) were forcing smiles on the faces of the dead.

Now scientists say they know just how the ancient seafaring traders created the gruesome smiles some 2,800 years ago—not with a toxic gas like Batman's nemesis but with a plant-based potion.

And someday that plant might be used to Botox-like effect, perhaps reducing rather than adding smile lines, the researchers speculate.

(Related: "Phoenician Blood Endures 3,000 Years, DNA Study Shows.")

Ancient Death Grins

By the eighth century B.C., Homer had coined the term "sardonic grin"—"sardonic" having its roots in "Sardinia"—in writings referring to the island's ritual killings via grimace-inducing potion.

Click here to read the rest.

Image via National Geographic Online

Are urban villages in store for the city of Detroit?

Planners say Detroit could one day resemble the English countryside

From The Detroit Free Press...

BY JOHN GALLAGHER •

In a new vision of Detroit's future, a team of visiting urban planners suggests the city might one day resemble the English countryside, with distinct urban villages surrounded by farms, fields and meadows.

The idea may sound improbable, but Alan Mallach, a New Jersey-based planner who led the visiting team, said Detroit is evolving in that direction anyway, with large chunks of the city now largely abandoned.

"In a way, think of it as a 21st-Century version of a traditional country pattern," Mallach said. "You have high-density development on one side of the street and cows on the other, quite literally."

The team's recommendations, contained in a draft report by a committee of the American Institute of Architects, are the latest in a flurry of ideas for dealing with Detroit's growing vacancy.

Click here to read the rest.

Image via The Detroit Free Press Online

There goes one of his nine lives:Cat survives a 26 story fall

From Gothamist...

By Jen Chung

WABC 7 had this crazy story over the weekend: A cat fell 26 stories from a lower Manhattan building—and survived! And the cat's name is...Lucky! Apparently Lucky's owner had left a window in her apartment open 6 inches wide—which is more than enough for any enterprising cat to wander through. Lucky decided to walk out onto the ledge, but he slipped.

What's also amazing is that a window washing crew across the street took pictures! See them here—WABC 7 describes them, "First of Lucky perched dangerously on the ledge, and then a stomach-turning shot of Lucky midair. Finally, they captured Lucky, after landing, on his feet on a neighbor's balcony 26 stories below." Lucky was hospitalized briefly and seems to be fine and as cute as ever, judging by the video.

If you have any pets, do not leave unscreened windows open more than a inch. Here's the ASPCA on high rise syndrome.

The Animal Communication Project: FROG CALLS

Ever wonder what all the croaking is about when you hear Frogs communicating? You knew those "ribbits" had a story to tell. Here it is:

From the Animal Communication Project...

The concave-eared torrent frog (Amolops tormotus) produces and responds to ultrasonic calls.

   "As dusk falls over a swampy pond, the chorus begins. First one frog croaks, a little hesitantly. Soon another joins in. Suddenly the pond resonates with the voices of dozens of male frogs, each signaling his species, availability and qualifications as a father.

Two populations of the same species, separated geographically—a highway running through a swamp, for example—develop dialects, slight differences in their calls. In most species, only males call, though the female midwife toad out shouts her mate. A sudden foreign sound silences them one and all. But soon a single voice starts again, followed by another and another.

The sound of a pond full of frogs can reach deafening levels, far out of proportion to the tiny bodies producing the sound. An air sac on the floor of the frog’s mouth enables it to do two remarkable things. First, when it’s expanded, the sac acts as a resonator, like the hollow body of a violin. Second, by forcing air into the sac from the lungs, then back into the lungs, a frog can croak continuously, even under water. The loudest frogs breed in temporary ponds. When the water’s available, the males muster mates quickly, for all frogs lay eggs only in water, and the tadpoles must grow legs before the temporary ponds dry up.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Photo © 2006 Albert S. Feng

Hendrix murdered by his manager, says former aide

From The Independent People

By Sadie Gray

The rock legend Jimi Hendrix was murdered by his manager, who stood to collect millions of dollars on the star's life insurance policy, a former roadie has claimed in a new book.

James "Tappy" Wright says that Hendrix's manager, Michael Jeffrey, drunkenly confessed to killing him by stuffing pills into his mouth and washing them down with several bottles of red wine because he feared Hendrix intended to dump him for a new manager, according to a report in the Mail on Sunday.

In his book, Rock Roadie, Mr Wright says Jeffrey told him in 1971 that Hendrix had been "worth more to him dead than alive" as he had taken out a life insurance policy on the musician worth $2m (about £1.2m at the time), with himself as the beneficiary. Two years later, Jeffrey was killed in a plane crash.

Click here to read the rest.

Image via The Independent People

On this day in 1928 there was still Civil War Veterans...

TODAY IN PHOTOGRAPHS: By Steven Mikulan in City News

Civil War veterans join a Memorial Day celebration at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The original newspaper caption read: "Old in years but young in spirit those who fought in the War of the Rebellion again paid tribute to the hero dead of the nation."

image via LA Weekly

Lakers back in NBA Finals - They wrap up Nuggets in 6th game

photo by Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the NBA Finals after taking care of a tough Nugget team 119-92. It was another hard-fought series, but the Lakers survived. Now the question is, who will they play in the Finals? Cleveland is down 3-2 and plays the Magic tonight. If the Magic win then it's LA vs Orlando. Go Lakers!

A History of Credit Cards: Americans embrace concept in 1951

These early credit pioneers led to the blood-sucking credit cards companies of today who are so bad that Congress has recently had to make them clean up their act. However, I think they will narrowly apply the mandated regulations while thinking up new ways to fleece customers.

From The Big Money...

By Caitlin McDevitt

Diners Club Card, 1951

As the story goes, 60 years ago, Frank McNamara, the founder of what's considered the first credit card, was eating out at a restaurant, and when the check arrived, he realized that he had not brought along his wallet.

The embarrassing situation led him to eventually create the Diners Club card, which allowed members to pay restaurant bills monthly.

The card itself was wallet-sized and made of paper and wasn't any fancier than a library card. But the idea behind it-a third party facilitating a "buy-now, pay-later" process-was revolutionary.

BankAmericard, 1958

The first bank credit card, the BankAmericard, was unveiled when Bank of America gave out 60,000 unsolicited cards in Fresno, Calif., in 1958.

Unlike in the past, when getting a loan might have meant taking a trip to the bank’s basement, this card was a ticket for anyone to spend freely and decide when was best to pay it back.

American Express Card, 1959

Plenty of large and small players saw the opportunity in the card business and jumped in quickly. American Express (AXP) differentiated itself from other providers by offering the first-ever plastic credit card in 1959. As opposed to flimsier cards, the plastic alternative was designed to “better withstand day-to-day use

Some other milestones are: The American Express Executive Card, 1968; Master Charge, 1970; Chase Visa Card, 1984; Discovery Card, 1986; and the Visa/NFL Co-Branded Credit Card in 1989.

images of Diner Club and BankAmericard via creditcollectibles. American Express Card image via American Express Corporate Archives.

Oklahoma State Trooper Assaults, Attempts to Arrest EMT Headed for Hospital

This is another example of why people think cops are bullies. Anyone who has ever been pulled over by State troopers in Oklahoma or Texas knows it can be a scary experience. I've been there and done that!

By William Grigg

Who cares about the needs of a critical care patient when there's a State Trooper's hungry ego to feed?

Emergency Medical Technician Maurice White, Jr., a paramedic with the Creek Nation EMS in Oklahoma, was shuttling a patient to the hospital when he was stopped by a State Trooper. White, intent on getting the patient the care she needed, hadn't noticed that the trooper had been behind him with lights flashing; when the trooper zoomed by, he made radio contact and snarled at White that he "should consider checking [his] rear view mirrors."

A little while later the Trooper, operating his vehicle with typical recklessness, cut off a car driven by a family member of the patient and signaled for White to pull over. Seeing a woman sitting next to the Trooper, and thinking she might need medical care, White complied -- only to find himself under assault and the subject of a spurious arrest on the way to the hospital.

Several other brown-shirted state police materialized, and White was swarmed; at one point, one of the skinheaded state stormtroopers had his hand on White's throat.Once again, in keeping with the quasi-official media protocol, this episode was described by local ABC affiliate news as a "scuffle" or a "confrontation," rather than a criminal assault by several armed tax-feeders on a medical professional in the course of carrying out a task that actually helps people, rather than harassing or plundering them.

image via the LRC Blog

Illinois Senate narrowly passes Marijuana bill

I almost forgot to mention that Illinois is joining a growing number of states that will be legalizing marijuana (see story below about Delaware).

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Associated Press) — The push to legalize medical marijuana in Illinois has taken a big step forward.

The Illinois Senate voted 30-28 in favor of a plan to let sick people use pot for relief from diseases like cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

The bill now goes to the Illinois House, where a committee passed a medical marijuana measure earlier this year.

Bruce Mirken, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, says that if the bill is eventually signed into law, Illinois would join 13 other states that have such measures in place.

Critics argue allowing medical marijuana would make it harder for police to enforce other marijuana laws and would be a step toward wholesale legalization of pot.

 

image via Google Images

Not Outright Decriminalization, but Delaware bill would legalize marijuana

From the 10th Amendment Center today...

source from the Delaware Sussex Countian

Delawareans afflicted with a variety of chronic and painful conditions would be able to legally use medical marijuana to ease their suffering under a bill now under consideration in the Delaware State Senate.

Sen. Margaret Rose Henry (D-Wilmington East), said her bill isn’t an outright decriminalization of marijuana and is aimed at balancing compassion for the sick with maintaining tight controls on access and the amount of marijuana a person can have.

“Modern science shows us that marijuana can have beneficial effects for people suffering from a number of conditions including cancer, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma and HIV-AIDS,” Henry said. “While we don’t want to encourage the use of marijuana as a recreational drug, it makes no sense at all to deny the comfort it can give to people suffering from truly debilitating and painful diseases.”

If passed, Henry’s bill would: Click here to keep reading.

image via Wikipedia Commons

Thousands of marauding caterpillars trap car in silky web!

From Mail Online this morning....

"Most drivers would be delighted if their car came with a silk-lined interior.

Whether it's such an appealing prospect on the outside is another matter.

This is the sight that greeted one unlucky motorist when he returned to his vehicle in Rotterdam.

Under a giant silk cocoon created by an army of caterpillars, the shape of a Honda is just about visible.

The car was mistaken as food by spindle ermine larvae, which had already begun to strip a nearby tree of its leaves.

Spindle ermines weave silk webs to protect themselves from birds and wasps, allowing them to gorge on leaves for six weeks before transforming into butterflies."

Click here to read the rest.

image via Mail Online

Former interrogator shreds Cheney's theory on torture

From The Raw Story today...

By John Byrne

A 14-year military interrogator has undercut one of the key arguments posited by Vice President Dick Cheney in favor of the Bush Administration’s torture techniques and alleged that the use of torture has cost “hundreds if not thousands” of American lives.

The interrogator, who uses the name “Matthew Alexander,” says he oversaw more than 1,000 interrogations, conducting more than 300 in Iraq personally.

Click here for rest of story and video.

From Information Clearing House (news you won't get from CNN)

Read the following for historical perspective...

By Matthew Moore

MORE photographs have been leaked of Iraqi citizens tortured by US soldiers at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison on the outskirts of Baghdad. Read more here. This article is three years old, but still bares reading for perspective today.

Top photo via Wikipedia Commons

Bottom photo via The Clearing House

Pre-game rituals and superstitions in our society

Illustration By Mike Curti

via USA Hockey

                     By Dave Stancliff
   It wasn’t unusual for me to throw up before game time when I was a freshman playing football. I was never sure if it was out of pure terror, or it was a good omen and I would run faster.
   Years later I read that Kareem Abdul Jabbar use to throw up before games because he was nervous. Anyone who ever watched him play however, would never have guessed it. He always seemed calm and in control on the court.
   When my Father and I watch the thoroughbred race horses, he always looks for the one who relieves itself in the paddock area while being shown off before the race. This ritual, he firmly believes, is a good sign.
    I was never much for rituals. Routine has always bored me. I have known some interesting people whose rituals were, to put it mildly, kinda crazy. One such person was in my squad in Vietnam. Every morning when he woke up the first thing he did was sharpen his (non-regulation) hunting knife!
   Guys would be washing their faces, shaving, drinking coffee, and other normal things while he sat cross-legged on the ground and carefully slid the whetstone over the razor sharp edges. You could call it his morning ritual.
  Baseball legend Wade Boggs, who played third base for the Boston Red Sox, always made sure to eat chicken before each game. He also wrote the Hebrew word “Chai” meaning “living” in the dirt before each at bat.
   Some athletes think that any sexual activity before an athletic event will hurt their performance. Mohammed Ali, thought that “when you don’t get sex for a while, you get mean and angry and it makes you a warrior.”
   He may have had something there. He’s still considered one of the greatest boxers ever. I think that when a person finds a routine that they are comfortable with, they should stick with it. It doesn’t have to make sense, it’s how it makes them feel.
   Karl Malone, basketball Hall of Famer, felt that wearing the same pair of sox for every game during the NBA season, gave him an edge. It might have, if smell counted for anything! Just joking of course, but I’ll bet that pair of socks had to be full of holes by the end of the season.
   According to an article in the Journal of Sports Behavior by Melissa Todd and Chris Brown, rituals and superstitions help “athletes cope with the uncertainty of sports competition.”
   The fear of wearing #13 on one’s uniform is a common superstition among all sports. I think if people believe it will bring bad luck, it will. There’s been exceptions to this superstition like Hall of Famer Dan Marino in football, and hoop legend Wilt Chamberlain.
   Daily rituals for people have always been around. The ancients felt sacrificing animals would bring them good luck. When I was very young, I had a neighbor who sacrificed snails by pouring salt on them. This ritual was usually performed when he was ticked-off with someone.
    As It Stands, I’m not really clear where the separation is between routine and rituals unless it’s when you make little clay figurines and stick pins in them, as opposed to puking before a game!