I Affirm and Aver the Following is Poo

The Whole Poo and Nothing But the Poo

Five laws of human nature
[info]new_scientist
Why is there always so much work to do? Will I become immortal? There are laws to answer such questions – New Scientist examines the evidence for them



Why your boss is incompetent
[info]new_scientist
The Peter principle says people get promoted until they reach the level of their own incompetence – now mathematics proves it



Copenhagen could make 'worst of all possible worlds'
[info]new_scientist
If a deal is done, the world could be stuck with more of the time-consuming and legally difficult "twin track" approach of Kyoto, says Fred Pearce

Topical THC Hemp Oil Cures Some Cancers
[info]alobar
        Below from Natural News.

===================================

Small Community Cancer Cure Crushed by Big Pharma, Part I

Thursday, December 17, 2009 by: Paul Fassa, citizen journalist
See all articles by this author
Email this author

(NaturalNews) A small Canadian community's success with curing cancer naturally was recently crushed, forcing its provider into exile in Europe. Rick Thompson had discovered a cure for himself and then had shared it at no cost with others in the small rural town of Maccan, Nova Scotia.

Rick offered results without side effects, and the Maccan residents took advantage. The results were amazing with even cancer patients. There are always problems promoting alternative cures. But here was an additional obstacle. The cure was hemp oil with the illegal substance THC.

Rick`s Reasons

Rick Thompson experienced a head injury at work in 1997. Afterward he was afflicted with post concussion syndrome. He was put on pharmaceuticals, which created dysfunctional side effects. He heard about the medical benefits of marijuana. So Rick purchased a bag and began smoking daily.

Eventually, both the post concussion syndrome and the pharmaceutical drug fog vanished completely. Rick's doctor discouraged him from smoking. So Rick decided on growing his own hemp and extracting the oil with THC. He reduced a pound of plants by slow boiling in a solution to get a small tube of thick THC concentrated oil.

Soon after he began, Rick was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. After one of the three cancers was removed surgically, it came back. So he decided to try the THC laden hemp oil topically. Within days, all three skin cancers were completely healed. Rick deduced that THC hemp oil cured cancer, but smoking marijuana would not.

Helping Others

So Rick began sharing the hemp oil within his community for free. Everyone experienced remarkable improvement by taking a drop orally twice daily or applying it topically. Rick Dwyer, the manager of the local Royal American Legion branch was very impressed. His father's terminal lung cancer was cured in weeks after the medicos had sent him home to die.

Read more... )

From Twitter 12-16-2009
[info]e_moon60

  • 09:00:29: Worked too late again--but found out why Ps didn't turn around and go home. Besides what's waiting at home.
  • 09:01:28: Very cold Inca dove sitting on feeder all fluffed up, tail pointing down over the edge.
  • 10:54:57: Next time around, I want to bioengineer my own body. Scary thought: Maybe I did this time and just did a lousy job.
  • 10:56:34: Blast and damn the Senators destroying the public option and giving all profit to the insurance companies, not the people.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com


Aspartame alert: Diet soda destroys kidney function
[info]alobar
        Below from Natural News.

========================================

Aspartame alert: Diet soda destroys kidney function
Thursday, December 17, 2009 by: E. Huff, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Scientists from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston have revealed results from a study outlining some of the effects of artificial sweeteners on the body. Conducted on a group of 3,000 women, the results indicated that those who drank two or more artificially-sweetened beverages a day doubled their risk of more-rapid-than-normal kidney function decline.

The study accounted for various other risk factors including the woman's age, her blood pressure, if she smoked, and if she had any other pre-existing conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. The 11-year study evaluated the effects of all sweetened drinks on progressive kidney decline and discovered that two or more diet drinks leads to a two-fold increase in rapid kidney decline incidences.

Though study results did not show any correlation between sugar- or corn syrup-sweetened drinks and the onset of rapid kidney decline, these ingredients are implicated in causing diabetes and obesity and should not be perceived as safe merely because they did not have a direct correlation in this particular study topic.

High sodium intake was also implicated in the study as promoting progressive kidney decline. Since diet soda contains excessive amounts of sodium, higher than sugar soda, it is no surprise that diet sodas were the primary offenders in the study. However it is unclear from this particular study which ingredient plays the larger role in progressive kidney decline, the artificial sweeteners or the sodium content.

Studies on aspartame

When aspartame was first approved in the 1970s under the name "NutraSweet", studies were submitted as supposed proof that the artificial chemical was safe. The FDA initially approved the chemical in 1974 for use in a limited number of foods based upon the studies submitted by G.D. Searle Co., the company that invented aspartame.

Following a discovery made shortly thereafter by a research psychiatrist who found that aspartic acid, a primary ingredient in aspartame, caused holes to form in the brains of mice, the FDA decided to form its own internal task force to investigate the initial claims made by the Searle Co.

What the agency discovered was a series of falsified claims, compromised study results, and missing information. The claims made in favor of aspartame were so dubious and the evidence so faulty that the FDA decreed that a grand jury should investigate Searle Co.'s claims. Unfortunately, the case failed to move forward when U.S. Attorney Thomas Sullivan and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Conlon failed to initiate any legal action. Conlon was later hired by the law firm that represented Searle Co.

Investigation revealed that aspartame had caused tumors, seizures, brain holes, and death in many of the studies. All negative findings had been altered or scrubbed from the final reports delivered to the FDA when aspartame was first reviewed.

Time and time again the question over whether aspartame is safe has led to investigations that never go anywhere. Studies are continually released in support of the chemical's safety even though they fail to address the results of other studies that show it to be harmful.

Other artificial sweeteners

A study published in the January, 2008 issue of the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health revealed that the newer artificial sweetener, sucralose, alters gut microflora and inhibits the assimilation of dietary nutrients.

Commonly marketed as being "made from sugar", sucralose had undergone no long-term human studies to verify its safety in humans.Read more... )

Forced Vaccinations, Government, and the Public Interest
[info]alobar
        Below by way of the Alternative Medicine Forum.  The concept of "herd immunity" is so fucking bogus.   I's be willing to bet that the only medical professionals who prewach it are those who make big $$ from vaccinations or stock in vaccine companies.

==============================================

Forced Vaccinations, Government, and the Public Interest
By Dr. Russell Blaylock, M.D.
December 2009

Those who are observant have noticed a dangerous trend in the United States, as well as worldwide, and that is the resorting of various governments at different levels to mandating forced vaccination upon the public at large. My State of Mississippi has one of the most-restrictive vaccine-exemption laws in the United States, where exemptions are allowed only upon medical recommendation. Ironically, this is only on paper, as many have had as many as three physicians, some experts in neurological damage caused by vaccines, provide written calls for exemption, only to be turned down by the State’s public-health officer.

Worse are the States, such as Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland, where forced vaccinations have either been mandated by the courts, the state legislature, or have such legislation pending. All of such policies strongly resemble those policies found in National Socialist empires, Stalinist countries, or Communist China.

When public-health officers are asked for the legal justification for such draconian measures as forcing people to accept vaccines that they deem either a clear and present danger to themselves and their loved ones or have had personal experience with serious adverse reactions to such vaccines, they usually resort to the need to protect the public.

One quickly concludes that if the vaccines are as effective as being touted by the public-health officials, then why should one fear the unvaccinated? Obviously the vaccinated would have at least 95% protection. This question puts them in a very difficult position. Their usual response is that a “small” percentage of the vaccinated will not have sufficient protection and would still be at risk. Now, if they admit what the literature shows, that vaccine failure rates are much higher than the 5% they claim, they must face the next obvious question – then why should anyone take the vaccine if there is a significant chance it will not protect?

When pressed further, they then resort to their favorite justification, the Holy Grail of the vaccine proponents – herd immunity. This concept is based upon the idea that 95% (and some now say 100%) of the population must be vaccinated to prevent an epidemic. The percentages needing vaccination grows progressively. I pondered this question for some time before the answer hit me. Herd immunity is mostly a myth and applies only to natural immunity – that is, contracting the infection itself.

Is Herd Immunity Real?

In the original description of herd immunity, the protection to the population at large occurred only if people contracted the infections naturally. The reason for this is that naturally-acquired immunity lasts for a lifetime. The vaccine proponents quickly latched onto this concept and applied it to vaccine-induced immunity. But, there was one major problem – vaccine-induced immunity lasted for only a relatively short period, from 2 to 10 years at most, and then this applies only to humoral immunity. This is why they began, silently, to suggest boosters for most vaccines, even the common childhood infections such as chickenpox, measles, mumps, and rubella.

Then they discovered an even greater problem, the boosters were lasting for only 2 years or less. This is why we are now seeing mandates that youth entering colleges have multiple vaccines, even those which they insisted gave lifelong immunity, such as the MMR. The same is being suggested for full-grown adults. Ironically, no one in the media or medical field is asking what is going on. They just accept that it must be done.

That vaccine-induced herd immunity is mostly myth can be proven quite simply. When I was in medical school, we were taught that all of the childhood vaccines lasted a lifetime. This thinking existed for over 70 years. It was not until relatively recently that it was discovered that most of these vaccines lost their effectiveness 2 to 10 years after being given. What this means is that at least half the population, that is the baby boomers, have had no vaccine-induced immunity against any of these diseases for which they had been vaccinated very early in life. In essence, at least 50% or more of the population was unprotected for decades.

If we listen to present-day wisdom, we are all at risk of resurgent massive epidemics should the vaccination rate fall below 95%. Yet, we have all lived for at least 30 to 40 years with 50% or less of the population having vaccine protection. That is, herd immunity has not existed in this country for many decades and no resurgent epidemics have occurred. Vaccine-induced herd immunity is a lie used to frighten doctors, public-health officials, other medical personnel, and the public into accepting vaccinations.

When we examine the scientific literature, we find that for many of the vaccines protective immunity was 30 to 40%, meaning that 70% to 60% of the public has been without vaccine protection. Again, this would mean that with a 30% to 40% vaccine-effectiveness rate combined with the fact that most people lost their immune protection within 2 to 10 year of being vaccinated, most of us were without the magical 95% number needed for herd immunity. This is why vaccine defenders insist the vaccines have 95% effectiveness rates.

Without the mantra of herd immunity, these public-health officials would not be able to justify forced mass vaccinations. I usually give the physicians who question my statement that herd immunity is a myth a simple example. When I was a medical student almost 40 years ago, it was taught that the tetanus vaccine would last a lifetime. Then 30 years after it had been mandated, we discovered that its protection lasted no more than 10 years. Then, I ask my doubting physician if he or she has ever seen a case of tetanus? Most have not. I then tell them to look at the yearly data on tetanus infections – one sees no rise in tetanus cases. The same can be said for measles, mumps, and other childhood infections. It was, and still is, all a myth.

The entire case for forced mass vaccination rest upon this myth and it is important that we demonstrate the falsity of this idea. Neil Z. Miller, in his latest book The Vaccine Information Manual, provides compelling evidence that herd immunity is a myth.     Read more... )

Of special concern is the finding that many of the contaminant organisms can pass from generation to generation. For example, new studies have found that SV-40, a major contaminant of the polio vaccine until 1963, not only existed as a latent virus for the lifetime of those exposed to the vaccine but was being passed on to the next generation, primarily by way of sperm, something called vertical transmission. This means that every generation from now on will be infected with this known carcinogenic virus. There is also compelling evidence that some polio vaccines manufactured after 1963 may contain SV-40 virus.

What makes the SV-40 contamination disaster of such concern is its association with so many cancers – including mesothelioma, medulloblastoma, ependymoma, meningioma, astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, pituitary adenoma, glioblastoma, osteosarcomas, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, papillary thyroid carcinomas, and anaplastic thyroid carcinomas.

The Federal government has gone to enormous links to cover up this association, despite the powerful scientific evidence that this vaccine infected at least a hundred million people worldwide with this carcinogenic virus. And, it took over 40 years just to get this far. Linking vaccine contaminations and immunoexcitotoxicity to the drastic rise in neurodegenerative diseases will probably take even longer because of the widespread growth of entrenched powers high in government and their control of the media, which is equally extensive. The fact that powerful, enormously wealthy foundations, such as the Ford Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Rockefeller series of foundations, are supporting forced vaccination greatly enhances the power of governments all over the World.

These foundations operate in the shadows, influencing legislation and government actions through the World Health Organization and individual governmental bodies. Read more... )

Dr. Blaylock is a board-certified neurosurgeon, author and lecturer. He attended the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans, Louisiana and completed his internship and neurosurgical residency at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, South Carolina. For the past 24 years he has practiced neurosurgery in addition to having a nutritional practice for 2 years. Retiring from his neurosurgical practice to devote full time to nutritional studies and research, Dr. Blaylock has written and illustrated three books (Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life, and Natural Strategies for The Cancer Patient). In addition, he has written and illustrated three chapters in medical textbooks, written a booklet on nutritional protection against biological terrorism, has an e-booklet on radioprotection (Nuclear Sunrise), written and illustrated a booklet on multiple sclerosis, and written over 30 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Other credits include Dr. Blaylock's DVD Nutrition & Behavior, a CD-ROM on the Truth About Aspartame, and, for the past five years, a health newsletter The Blaylock Wellness Report, published by NewsMax. Since the publication of his first book, he has been a guest on over 100 syndicated radio and television programs and appeared on the 700 Club seven times. He lectures widely to both lay and professional medical audiences on a variety of nutritional subjects.

Dr. Blaylock is a visiting professor of biology at Belhaven College and serves on the editorial staff of the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association, the editorial staff of the Fluoride Journal and is on the editorial staff of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, official journal of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. He is also a regular lecturer for the Fellowship for Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine.

</span>
http://www.thenhf.com/vaccinations/vac_299.htm
</font>

Comic for December 17, 2009
[info]dilbert_cartoon



Lawrence Lessig Presentation: Institutional Corruption
[info]solarbird
Please go listen to this 30-minute presentation by Lawrence Lessig on institutional corruption. You need to understand this concept (and the ecosystem described) to understand really much of anything going on in the banking sector, in health reform, and so on.

Convergence
[info]nebris wrote in [info]the_recession
~William Lind and Noam Chomsky are pretty much at the polar opposite of each other on the so called Left/Right political spectrum. But here are recent quotes from each of them.

This is Lind from his column ON WAR #326: Finis:

"..[T]he U.S. military is largely an intellectual void...“Not invented here” is part of the problem, but the larger part is that our major headquarters think little if at all about war. What they think about is money...most “big ticket” weapons programs are irrelevant to where war is going. That is not what the brass, or the defense companies they plan to work for after retirement, want to hear.

What might change that picture? Nothing will change in DOD until the money simply isn’t there anymore. The news, which is simultaneously good and bad, is that the money soon won’t be there. Like every previous imperial power, we are bankrupting ourselves. A trillion dollars here and a trillion dollars there, and soon it adds up to real money. The twin financing mechanisms of piling up debt and debasing the currency can only go on so long. We can already see the night at the end of the tunnel."

And here's Chomsky in an interview with Z Net:

"The U.S. is different from Europe and other industrial countries in this respect. The U.S. is, to a very unusual extent, a business-run society. There are all kinds of reasons for that—it has no feudal background, so institutions that remained in place in Europe did not remain in place here. There are a lot of reasons. But the fact of the matter is that the U.S. is run by an unusually class-conscious, dedicated business class that has a very violent labor history, much worse than in Europe. The attack on unions has been far more extreme here, and it has been much more successful. Also, the business propaganda has been far more successful. Anti-union propaganda has been considerably more successful here than in Europe, even among working people who would benefit [from] unions. In fact, a rather striking aspect of business propaganda in the United States is the demonization of government, starting after the Second World War.

The Second World War ended with a radicalization of the population in the United States and everywhere else, and called for all kinds of things like popular takeovers, government intervention, and worker takeovers of factories. Business propagated a tremendous propaganda offensive. The scale surprised me when I read the scholarship—it's enormous, and it's been very effective. There were two major targets: one is unions, the other is democracy. Well, [to them] democracy means getting people to regard government as an alien force that's robbing them and oppressing them, not as their government. In a democracy it would be your government. For example, in a democracy the day when you pay your taxes, April 15, would be a day of celebration, because you're getting together to provide resources for the programs you decided on. In the United States, it's a day of mourning because this alien force—the government—is coming to rob you of your hard-earned money. That's the general attitude, and it's a tremendous victory for the opponents of democracy, and, of course, any privileged sector is going to hate democracy. You can see it in the healthcare debate."

While the focus is different, and I suspect each man would hate the other [if they don't already], you can see there is in fact a unity of thought; Capitalism is destroying us.

Comic for December 17, 2009
[info]dilbertdaily



Convergence
[info]nebris

~William Lind and Noam Chomsky are pretty much at the polar opposite of each other on the so called Left/Right political spectrum. But here are recent quotes from each of them.

This is Lind from his column ON WAR #326: Finis:

"..[T]he U.S. military is largely an intellectual void...“Not invented here” is part of the problem, but the larger part is that our major headquarters think little if at all about war. What they think about is money...most “big ticket” weapons programs are irrelevant to where war is going. That is not what the brass, or the defense companies they plan to work for after retirement, want to hear.

What might change that picture? Nothing will change in DOD until the money simply isn’t there anymore. The news, which is simultaneously good and bad, is that the money soon won’t be there. Like every previous imperial power, we are bankrupting ourselves. A trillion dollars here and a trillion dollars there, and soon it adds up to real money. The twin financing mechanisms of piling up debt and debasing the currency can only go on so long. We can already see the night at the end of the tunnel."

And here's Chomsky in an interview with Z Net:

"The U.S. is different from Europe and other industrial countries in this respect. The U.S. is, to a very unusual extent, a business-run society. There are all kinds of reasons for that—it has no feudal background, so institutions that remained in place in Europe did not remain in place here. There are a lot of reasons. But the fact of the matter is that the U.S. is run by an unusually class-conscious, dedicated business class that has a very violent labor history, much worse than in Europe. The attack on unions has been far more extreme here, and it has been much more successful. Also, the business propaganda has been far more successful. Anti-union propaganda has been considerably more successful here than in Europe, even among working people who would benefit [from] unions. In fact, a rather striking aspect of business propaganda in the United States is the demonization of government, starting after the Second World War.

The Second World War ended with a radicalization of the population in the United States and everywhere else, and called for all kinds of things like popular takeovers, government intervention, and worker takeovers of factories. Business propagated a tremendous propaganda offensive. The scale surprised me when I read the scholarship—it's enormous, and it's been very effective. There were two major targets: one is unions, the other is democracy. Well, [to them] democracy means getting people to regard government as an alien force that's robbing them and oppressing them, not as their government. In a democracy it would be your government. For example, in a democracy the day when you pay your taxes, April 15, would be a day of celebration, because you're getting together to provide resources for the programs you decided on. In the United States, it's a day of mourning because this alien force—the government—is coming to rob you of your hard-earned money. That's the general attitude, and it's a tremendous victory for the opponents of democracy, and, of course, any privileged sector is going to hate democracy. You can see it in the healthcare debate."

While the focus is different, and I suspect each man would hate the other [if they don't already], you can see there is in fact a unity of thought; Capitalism is destroying us.


(no subject)
[info]squidb0i
  • 08:04 Tell Senate progressives not to sit silently by as the #publicoption dies. Please sign and RT (via @credomobile) bit.ly/4LmIQ3 #
  • 10:26 Big 5 sporting goods has nice Yugoslavian Mausers on sale for $200. Aweome deal for an excellent rifle. Lookin at you Rusty. ;) #
Yep, a twitter repost. Suck it up.

Good evening from Las Vegas
[info]gomezticator
My head hurts. The bottom also fell out of my energy level this afternoon, though I'm willing to blame the lack of walking all over the damn place up and down hills, three cups of coffee in transit and a lack of water during the day, plus the lack of a typical afternoon coffee and writing bender. I'll get some sleep and try again tomorrow.

My mother took me to Metro Pizza, a place I hadn't gone to in damn near a decade, and the stuffed Skyline pizza has to be tried at least once as long as you're not a vegetarian.

I forgot how many lawyer commercials Vegasites got on their network TV.

A recent census says that Vegas is about 20-25% Hispanic and I'm calling bullshit. It's more like 40-50%, and in this neck of the woods it's more like 90%. The outdated method of conducting the census (asking people how many people are in their home and expecting completely honest answers every time) indicates this postulate isn't totally out of line.

Being in the airport always sucks. Always. Going through security is always an exercise in retardation regardless of your best intentions. Sitting around and waiting for personnel to pull thumbs out of their asses or watching their hands get tied by due process makes an already troublesome travel situation even worse. And I got to Vegas on time after my 2.5 hour flight left on time. You can only imagine what it's like for someone on a longer flight that gets delayed, misses a connector or has a flight canceled.

I have plans for tomorrow and Friday but things should go up in the air after that. Holla back if you're looking for a chance to hang out (or three).

Oh, Onion. *heart*
[info]maskedretriever
Sumerians confused by "God" "creating the universe".

I'm actually really interested in what the world was like at the time those of us who are reality challenged think it began. This was a time when there were some civilizations. This was a time we could reconstruct and think about. It was also a time before that weird-ass "monotheism" stuff became so popular.

In school, Sumeria really saved me from not liking history at all, because I got to read some of the earliest journal writing in the world, and felt instantly and eerily connected to someone from literally the opposite end of history.

But not from the opposite end of time. Oh no.

Banks exiting TARP
[info]angrybearfeed
by Linda Beale (cross posted from ataxingmatter)

Banks exiting TARP

Citibank has confirmed its plans to pay back the bailout funds directly provided to it. See NY Times. Of course, the fact that banks are paying back direct bailout funds does not mean that there is no further bank bailout going on. The government now stands as guarantor, an assurance that has provided a significant cost-of-funds advantage to big banks. One has to wonder whehter there will ever be a complete reckoning regarding the total amount of the assistance that big banks and insurers have received. It is something that is terribly important, if we want to make wise decisions on financial system reforms. One suspects that whatever bill passes the Congress will have a number of poor provisions, given the influence of bank lobbyists and the vulnerability of Congress to that influence. Without public pressure expressing the rightious rage at bank's profiting from the bailout without corresponding assistant to Main Street and bankers' profiting personally while middle America hemorhages jobs, we'll continue without the significant changes that are needed.

Not surprisingly, the banks that exit the US bailout program are going to continue to benefit from the "special" rules written to override the regular rules preventing loss trafficking. Last week, Treasury made clear that government sales of stakes in banks won't be taken into account in determining whether there has been a sufficient ownership change to invoke the rules under section 382 et seq that limit loss use to a formula intended to keep losses used at pre-ownership change use rate.

And lifted from comments by Rdan.
Ken Houghton says:
I don't wonder. The word is already out: it was profitable, no matter what the reality is. (To paraphrase a combination of John Anderson in 1980 and Lloyd Bentsen in 1984, let me borrow at -0,25%, loan at 30%, and write $300 billion in hot checks, and I can balance the budget too.)

Linda Beale responds:
Ken is certainly right--the research so far on cost-of-funds analysis for Big Banks aided by TARP suggests that as much as 48% of the Big Banks' current profits are due to the cost-of-funds advantage from the government guarantee. They have soaked up corporate welfare and loved it, while still fighting with every breath any possibility of a "mortgage cramdown" which would permit homeowners to reduce the principal amount of their home mortgages in bankruptcy. Why the shoveback against the cramdown? Because it would require them to recognize the real losses now, rather than at their timing. And would lower their market cap value, making it harder for them to continue merging and growing ever bigger and even more "too big to fail."

Comet Hyakutake Passes the Earth
[info]apod

In 1996, an unexpectedly bright comet passed by planet Earth. In 1996, an unexpectedly bright comet passed by planet Earth.



best xmas prezzie to date
[info]spiralflames
( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Brainfeed
[info]physicsduck
Automatically shipped by LoudTwitter

This is Fiscal Rape, Plain and Simple.....
[info]nebris wrote in [info]the_recession

Insurance companies can charge you up to 50% more for pre-existing conditions under HCR bill, says former CIGNA exec

Former CIGNA executive Wendell Potter on Keith Olbermann's show tonight


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