Archive for November, 2009
Ayn Rand and Her Hollywood Days
Anne C. Heller, author of the biography Ayn Rand and the World She Made speaks with WSJ’s Steven Kurutz about the days when Ayn Rand was the “talk of the town.” She also discusses an upcoming blockbuster movie based on her novel.
Wake From Cryonics
Here’s an interesting idea. Finance your cryogenic preservation using life insurance — and then leave a huge death benefit to your future thawed self!
“Most in the middle class, if they seriously want it, can afford it now. So by taking the right steps, you can look forward to waking up one bright future morning from cryopreservation the proud owner of a bank account brimming with money!”
But there’s one important caveat. Some insist that money “will have no meaning in a future dominated by advanced molecular manufacturing or other engines of mega-abundance.
“In this case waking from cryonics rich or poor would be exactly the
same…” (This article first appeared in the fall issue of H+ magazine…)
British UN Scientist’s Death Was ‘Not Suicide’
By Jason Lewis in the Daily Mail:
Gordon Brown is being urged to intervene in an investigation into the mysterious death of British scientist Timothy Hampton. The nuclear expert fell to his death from the 17th floor of a UN building in Vienna last month.
Local police and UN officials have suggested that the 47-year-old, who was involved in monitoring illegal nuclear tests by Iran and North Korea, killed himself.
But tests commissioned by his family have raised doubts about the findings of a first post-mortem examination and suggest that Mr Hampton, from Newbury, may have been murdered.
One theory is the scientist could have been strangled, carried from his workplace on the sixth floor and thrown to his death. Richard Benyon, Mr Hampton’s MP, said: ‘I have grave misgivings about this case. I am told Mr Hampton was not suicidal.
‘He was happy in his work, loved living in Vienna and was devoted to his partner…
Attack of the Giant Jellyfish
From MICHAEL CASEY, AP
“KOKONOGI, Japan — A blood-orange blob the size of a small refrigerator emerged from the dark waters, its venomous tentacles trapped in a fishing net. Within minutes, hundreds more were being hauled up, a pulsating mass crowding out the catch of mackerel and sea bass.
The fishermen leaned into the nets, grunting and grumbling as they tossed the translucent jellyfish back into the bay, giants weighing up to 200 kilograms (450 pounds), marine invaders that are putting the men’s livelihoods at risk.
The venom of the Nomura, the world’s largest jellyfish, a creature up to 2 meters (6 feet) in diameter, can ruin a whole day’s catch by tainting or killing fish stung when ensnared with them in the maze of nets here in northwest Japan’s Wakasa Bay.
“Some fishermen have just stopped fishing,” said Taiichiro Hamano, 67. “When you pull in the nets and see jellyfish, you get depressed.”
Read…
Remembering Lies: Interview With Psychiatric Abuse Victim Jeannette Bartha
It is indoctrination. If you look at any, say, religious cult – I read the work of Robert Jay Lifton and was appalled at the parallels [between Lifton's criteria for thought reform (indoctrination), and what was taking place in treatment]. For example, having a charismatic leader: that would be the psychiatrist. A controlled environment: I was told when to eat, when to sleep, when to shower. The heat was controlled in the room. It would get hot and cold, hot and cold, hot and cold. Information from the outside by TV, mail, magazines, newspapers hardly existed at all. If there were magazines, they were so outdated. If there was a TV show that seemed to relate to the subject, we were not allowed to view it. Sleep medication, sleeping pills, were given out freely, and I also experienced sleep deprivation. There were sedatives, sleepers, truth serum drugs. Physical restraints: four-point leather restraints, or more, to a bed for – could be – 2 hours to 15 hours at a time, at which point I would also be injected with more medication.
I Knew I Had to Stop When I Wanted to Kill Real Grannies
Fay Weldon for TIMESONLINE:
I have a confession to make. I am a secret videogame enthusiast.
Ask around and you find you are not alone. Many of my fellow writers do it: work until we hit a difficulty, switch to the familiar game, play for a while, and then back to the manuscript, and lo! — the unconscious has used the time miraculously to solve the problem.
However, the games can have strange and troubling effects on one’s perception of reality. I once had a flirtation with a game called Carmageddon, in which one scored points for running down little old ladies. But I stopped, appalled, when I realised that I was beginning to feel the urge to do exactly that in real life. I would feel my hands twitching on the steering wheel, trying to follow a pattern my mind had laid down…
Bill Maher on Vaccination: A Conversation Worth Having
Bill Maher writes on his blog:
While America is still in the grips of swine flu mania, let me use this opportunity to clear up a few things about my beliefs concerning the flu shot, vaccines, and health in general. I do this because there is obviously a lot of curiosity about this subject of vaccines — it comes up in every interview I do these days, and I’ve been finding that people, including doctors, are privately expressing a skepticism that is still not very prevalent in public. I feel like I’ve become a confessor for people who want someone to be raising questions about vaccines.
But I don’t want the job. I agree with my critics who say there are far more qualified people than me — its just that mainstream media rarely interviews doctors and scientists who present an alternative point of view…
Evangelist Sentenced to 175 Years for Taking Child Brides
JON GAMBRELL writes on the AP via Yahoo News:
Evangelist Tony Alamo used his stature as a self-proclaimed prophet to force underage girls into sham marriages with him, controlling his followers with their fears of eternal suffering.
But the judge who sentenced Alamo on Friday to 175 years in prison for child sexual abuse warned of another kind of justice awaiting the aging evangelist. “Mr. Alamo, one day you will face a higher and a greater judge than me,” U.S. District Judge Harry F. Barnes told the preacher. “May he have mercy on your soul.”
Barnes leveled the maximum sentence against the 75-year-old, who preyed on followers’ young daughters and took child “brides” as young as age 8. A jury convicted Alamo in July on a 10-count indictment accusing him of taking the girls across state lines for sex.
Alamo, who has made millions through his ministry, also must pay $250,000 in fines. He…
Pervasive Plastics: Why the U.S. Needs New and Tighter Controls
John Wargo writes on Yale Environment 360:
Since 1950, plastics have quickly and quietly entered the lives and bodies of most people and ecosystems on the planet. In the United States alone, more than 100 billion pounds of resins are formed each year into food and beverage packaging, electronics, building products, furnishings, vehicles, toys, and medical devices. In 2007, the average American purchased more than 220 pounds of plastic, creating nearly $400 billion in sales.
It is now impossible to avoid exposure to plastics. They surround and pervade our homes, bodies, foods, and water supplies, from the plastic diapers and polyester pajamas worn by our children to the cars we drive and the frying pans in which we cook our food.
The ubiquitous nature of plastics is a significant factor in an unexpected side effect of 20th century prosperity — a change in the chemistry of the human body. Today, most individuals carry…
Five Great Things You Didn’t Know Came from Horrific Tragedies
Henry Stennett writes on Cracked.com:
In Japan they have an ancient saying: “The most beautiful flowers grow only in the shit of Godzilla.”
And you know what? They’re right. Great things not only happen despite horrible disasters, but often because of them. We’re not saying that we’re glad these horrible things happened, or that it was even worth it. But a lot of what’s great about the world today is a result of history’s darkest hours. Like…
#5. The Black Death: We know this statement is going to be pretty controversial down in the comments section, but we’re going to say it and stand by it: the Black Death was bad. We want to make it clear right off the bat that when we talk about a silver lining, we are not advocating that the Black Death be brought back. We would not support any such proposal.
The Black Death, a.k.a. The Plague, utterly ravaged humanity, killing between 30 and 60 percent of Europeans, and dropping the population of the entire world by 20 percent by some estimates…
Nitrates From Processed Foods and Fertilizers in Water Cause Alzheimer’s, Diabetes
Not much of a surprise is it? Add nitrates to your food or your water: say hello to disease. As reported in Medical News Today:
A new study by researchers at Rhode Island Hospital have found a substantial link between increased levels of nitrates in our environment and food, with increased deaths from diseases, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes mellitus and Parkinson’s. The study was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (Volume 17:3 July 2009).
Led by Suzanne de la Monte, MD, MPH, of Rhode Island Hospital, researchers studied the trends in mortality rates due to diseases that are associated with aging, such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, diabetes and cerebrovascular disease, as well as HIV. They found strong parallels between age adjusted increases in death rate from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and diabetes and the progressive increases in human exposure to nitrates, nitrites and nitrosamines through processed and preserved foods as well as fertilizers.…
Mommy Bloggers or Corporate Shills?
P.J. Huffstutter and Jerry Hirsch writes in the LA Times:
On most days, Andrea Deckard can be found in her home office, digging through stacks of coupons and grocery receipts for money saving tips and recipes that she can share with readers of her Mommy Snacks blog.
That is, when the stay-at-home mom isn’t being wined and dined by giant food companies. Earlier this year, Frito-Lay flew her to Los Angeles to meet celebrities such as model Brooke Burke and the Spice Girls’ Mel B, while pitching her on its latest snack ad campaign.
More recently, Nestle paid to put her and 16 other so-called “mommy bloggers” — and one daddy blogger — up at the posh Langham Huntington hotel in Pasadena, treated them to a private show at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and sent packages of frozen Omaha Steaks to their families to tide them over while the women were away learning all about the company’s latest product lines.
In return, Deckard and her virtual sisterhood filed Twitter posts raving about Nestle’s canned pumpkin, Wonka candy and Juicy Juice drinks.
“People have accused us of being corporate shills,” said Deckard, a Monroe, Ohio, mother of three whose junkets have also included a free trip to Frito-Lay’s Texas headquarters. Deckard, noting that she is up front with her readers about such trips, said they are educational for her and her fans, and “just fun.”
Besides, she added, “it’s not like I sold my soul for a chocolate bar.”
Spices, Hormones and Cocaine! Found in Drinking Water
Christine Dell’Amore writes on National Geographic News:
How’s this for a sweet surprise? A team of researchers in Washington State has found traces of cooking spices and flavorings in the waters of Puget Sound. University of Washington associate professor Richard Keil heads the Sound Citizen program, which investigates how what we do on land affects our waters.
Keil and his team have tracked “pulses” of food ingredients that enter the sound during certain holidays.
For instance, thyme and sage spike during Thanksgiving, cinnamon surges all winter, chocolate and vanilla show up during weekends (presumably from party-related goodies), and waffle-cone and caramel-corn remnants skyrocket around the Fourth of July. The Puget Sound study is one of several ongoing efforts to investigate the unexpected ingredients that find their way into the global water supply…
British Man Receives ‘Bionic Bottom’
On the Telegraph:
Ged Galvin, 55, now presses a remote control to open his bowels and go to the toilet.
The IT project manager from Barnsley, south Yorkshire, almost died when an off-duty police officer pulled out in front of him in her car. Mr Galvin suffered massive internal injuries and had to be fitted with a colostomy bag until surgeons at the Royal London Hospital could perform the complex operation to rebuild his bottom.
The medical team took a muscle from above his knee, wrapped it around his sphincter, and then attached electrodes to the nerves. These are now operated by a palm-sized remote control that he carries in his pocket. “It’s like a chubby little mobile phone,” he said. “You switch it on and off, just like switching on the TV…
Florida Man Arrested for Calling 911, Asking for Sex
On the AP:
Florida police say a man arrested for repeatedly calling 911 looking for sex claimed it was the only number he could dial after running out of cell phone minutes. Tampa police said 29-year-old Joshua Basso made sexual comments to the 911 dispatcher and asked if he could come to her house. Investigators say she hung up, but he called back four more times.
He was arrested about 15 minutes later at his home late Wednesday and charged with making a false 911 call. Basso reportedly told officers that he didn’t think he would get in trouble for calling 911.
Tampa jail records show Basso is being held without bond but don’t indicate whether he has an attorney. He is listed as unemployed with arrests for theft and other crimes dating back to 2001.
Palestinians Say Dozens of Trees Cut Down by Settlers
Ali Waked for ynetnews.com:
Burin resident discovers 97 of his olive trees destroyed overnight. ‘When I saw the massacre which took place on my land, I cried,’ he tells Ynet
Palestinian farmers from the West Bank village of Burin, located near the settlement of Yitzhar, discovered Thursday morning that dozens of their olive trees were cut down.
Akram Amram of Burin told Ynet that at around 5:30 am he had discovered 97 uprooted olive trees on his land.
“I am not embarrassed to admit that when I discovered the massacre which took place on my land, I cried,” he said. “These trees are more than 60 years old and I raised them just like I raised my kids.”
According to Amram, the trees were very valuable. “I make a living off these trees and don’t work in anything else. But my pain is not only over my livelihood which is gone, but also because…
Pee To Help Make Your Garden Grow
From: BBC NEWS:
Gardeners at a National Trust property in Cambridgeshire are urging people to relieve themselves outdoors to help gardens grow greener.
A three-metre long “pee bale” has been installed at Wimpole Hall.
Head gardener Philip Whaites is urging his male colleagues to pee on the straw bale to activate the composting process on the estate’s compost heap.
He said the “pee bale” is only in use out of visitor hours, since “we don’t want to scare the public”…
Leading Experts Give Advice on How to Reduce Your EMF Risk
In the video below, ElectromagneticHealth.org founder Camilla Rees presents an overview of an emerging public health issue — excessive exposures to microwave radiation from wireless technologies.
Illness linked to electromagnetic radiation exposure include many cancers, neurological conditions, ADD, sleep disorders, depression, autism, cognitive problems, cardiovascular irregularities, hormone disruption, immune system disorders, metabolism changes, stress, fertility impairment, increased blood brain barrier permeability, mineral disruption, DNA damage and much, much more.
Multimedia Presentation on Wireless Health Hazards from ElectromagneticHealth.Org.
How Right-Wing Cult Leader Sun Myung Moon Bought Washington
From Alternet:
With money, media and promotion of a conservative political agenda, a self-styled Messiah and convicted felon became a frequent guest at the White House.
“Moon looked on the media as almost the nervous system for a global empire. Moon was the brain, and the media are to be, or were to be, the communications vehicle for his body politic surrounding the globe.”
In January 1992, PBS Frontline broadcast a film I directed that documented the amazing rise, fall and subsequent resurrection of Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church movement. The documentary showed how, through an adroit combination of money, media and the consistent promotion of a conservative political agenda, a self-styled Messiah and convicted felon had rapidly reinvented himself and was soon hailed at the White House.
At the time, few Americans paid much attention to Reverend Moon – and those that did had bizarre recollections of him and the “Moonies,” as his…
