During the holiday season I am happy to give back a little to the community. This year is no exception. I was asked to provide some holiday entertainment at a home for the elderly disabled. I was happy to oblige.
Old people like Lawrence Welk, Hee-Haw and such, so I figured that a vocal performance would be well received. I stood in front of the room and began my holiday rendition of "Do You Hear What I Hear".
One line into the first verse I looked to my left and noticed a woman stating the lyrics in sign language. Apparently I was performing for the deaf, and my choice of song was not a gentle holiday incantation, it was a slap in the face.
By the time I reached the chorus the walkers were scooting toward the door, tennis balls sliding along the floors under their weight. In a cloud of Ben-Gay the geriatric audience left the performance and waddled off to bingo.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Bearing False Witness in the Land of the Pious Fingerpointers
In Gainesville Florida we can listen to 97.3, WSKY "The Sky", a local radio station with reasonable power, serving north-central Florida. It features local personalities as well as national syndicated material (like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, etc). As you may infer, the slant of this station is pretty hard right, warming the cockles of the suthern-fried listenership surrounding the devil island of liberal university edumokation filth that is Gainesville.
The daily rhetoric is uber-religious, uber righteous. The discussions and callers often border on vitriolic, generally condemning science, reason and facts to promote a spiritual or political position. That's fine, I can turn the dial, so I'm glad that there is a forum for those that hold those ideals important.
What I think is hi-larious is the programming on Saturday and Sunday morning. At these times the content switches from talk radio to infomercial to raise advertising dollars for the station. Again, a good thing for the radio station.
It is the nature of the ads that I find objectionable. These are fake radio call-in shows with credible names like "HEALTH LINE". They feature a "doctor" that has expertise in a range of products, mostly herbal concoctions that cure EVERYTHING. Equally hi-larious is that they are clearly reading from scripts, as judged by their mis-pronunciation of common medical terms that a trained physician or scientist would never miss.
Over the last year I have heard commercials for coral calcium, oregano extracts, hyluronic acid, green-tea extracts, and a whole swatch of other unproven remedies. All are pushed with promises to cure everything from colds to cancer, boosting immunity and solving all problems. Of course, the rhetoric is skillfully adjusted to avoid making any claims that could be mistaken as actual medical advice.
I have to laugh when a radio station that shoves the Bible in your face and feels that the ten commandments should be displayed from court rooms to class rooms has no problem bearing false witness. They use their powerful infrastructure to promote a lie in the fake radio show, duping the desperate and infirmed into health-related fraud. They take the cash and broadcast the lies.
Of course, they do have a disclaimer at the beginning that states that it is a paid commercial announcement and that management does not warrant any claims. However, shouldn't they have the moral obligation to not broadcast a complete lie? Here the august and pious, holier-than-thou conduit of The Sky 97.3 is the central perpetrator of falsehood, airing fake commercials to make money.
Thou shalt not bear false witness, or at least so I thought. I guess all of the 10C's aren't so important when there's money to be seen from the corner of your eye...
The daily rhetoric is uber-religious, uber righteous. The discussions and callers often border on vitriolic, generally condemning science, reason and facts to promote a spiritual or political position. That's fine, I can turn the dial, so I'm glad that there is a forum for those that hold those ideals important.
What I think is hi-larious is the programming on Saturday and Sunday morning. At these times the content switches from talk radio to infomercial to raise advertising dollars for the station. Again, a good thing for the radio station.
It is the nature of the ads that I find objectionable. These are fake radio call-in shows with credible names like "HEALTH LINE". They feature a "doctor" that has expertise in a range of products, mostly herbal concoctions that cure EVERYTHING. Equally hi-larious is that they are clearly reading from scripts, as judged by their mis-pronunciation of common medical terms that a trained physician or scientist would never miss.
Over the last year I have heard commercials for coral calcium, oregano extracts, hyluronic acid, green-tea extracts, and a whole swatch of other unproven remedies. All are pushed with promises to cure everything from colds to cancer, boosting immunity and solving all problems. Of course, the rhetoric is skillfully adjusted to avoid making any claims that could be mistaken as actual medical advice.
I have to laugh when a radio station that shoves the Bible in your face and feels that the ten commandments should be displayed from court rooms to class rooms has no problem bearing false witness. They use their powerful infrastructure to promote a lie in the fake radio show, duping the desperate and infirmed into health-related fraud. They take the cash and broadcast the lies.
Of course, they do have a disclaimer at the beginning that states that it is a paid commercial announcement and that management does not warrant any claims. However, shouldn't they have the moral obligation to not broadcast a complete lie? Here the august and pious, holier-than-thou conduit of The Sky 97.3 is the central perpetrator of falsehood, airing fake commercials to make money.
Thou shalt not bear false witness, or at least so I thought. I guess all of the 10C's aren't so important when there's money to be seen from the corner of your eye...
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Yay!! A New Airborne Commerical!
So I'm at my folks' watching Christmas TV and a commercial comes on. It is a happy woman standing next to a box of Airborne, the pretend medicine that has no active ingredients.
I don't remember the exact words of it all to analyze here, so I looked to see if it was archived online. It's not. But here is one that is really scary...
Isn't this a health claim? Is this touting that it shields one from STDs? This is another example of a company acting unethically to sell a product and a public to stooopid to notice. I'll bet that in cheesy raves all across this nation that there are brainstemmed party chicks strung out on date rape drugs pounding Airborne for prophylaxis. Another shining moment for Airborne and its promise to deliver, its implausible mechanism and consumers to scientifically illiterate to refuse it.
I don't remember the exact words of it all to analyze here, so I looked to see if it was archived online. It's not. But here is one that is really scary...
Isn't this a health claim? Is this touting that it shields one from STDs? This is another example of a company acting unethically to sell a product and a public to stooopid to notice. I'll bet that in cheesy raves all across this nation that there are brainstemmed party chicks strung out on date rape drugs pounding Airborne for prophylaxis. Another shining moment for Airborne and its promise to deliver, its implausible mechanism and consumers to scientifically illiterate to refuse it.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sinupret for Kids- Creepy, Unproven and Ethically Bankrupt
Ask any doctor or pharmacist and they'll tell you, medicine is just poison delivered at the proper dose. When we examine the relevant, top-notch, peer-reviewed scientific literature for statistically meaningful evaluations of herbal remedies, there is little support to merit their application.
This is why my skin crawled when I saw the Sinupret for Kids commercial. Here a mother and child lie in a field of daisies arguing gently about who loves the other more. The obvious corollary is that because the mother loves the daughter, she's giving her Sinupret to treat her colds. Oh, and "boost her immune system".
What is Sinupret? It is a proprietary combination of herbs, including European Elder, Common Sorrel, Cowslip, European Vervain, and Gentian. I don't know what these do, but Europen Elder is Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) a plant that absolutely generates cyanogenic glycosides as secondary metabolites that I'm sure could be poisonous.
Does Sinupret for Kids work? Well the evidence from the scientific literature does not support its use. Enter "sinupret" into PubMed and you'll find 23 articles since 1972. None of them is in a highly reputable scientific journal, and I could not access most of them through the subscriptions of a major university. From the abstracts and titles none are based on randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trials in large trails. Although there are apparently some significant results for various maladies, these are apparently small trials in Russian or German journals that may or may not be refereed.
Here's where I have a problem. When parents live in fear of medicines to be administered to their children, they will turn to these allegedly "safe" alternatives. This has two problems. 1. There is no evidence of their efficacy, so child remains ill and the problem goes untreated- it may spread to vulnerable people such as other children, the elderly or immunocompromised. 2. Plant products can be biologically active and their effects are not necessarily specific. Dosages are not consistent. Other compounds with unintended effects may reside in these seemingly innocuous concoctions.
So, should this be given to children? I would demand some evidence of efficacy and no harm first. Look at medications like hydrocodone- used safely for decades and only now are we finding some adverse effects in subsets of patients. It takes a long time of careful surveillance to truly understand all effects.
The claims of the commercial are skillfully crafted to fit within the FDA claims and limits for dietary supplements. Listen carefully. The mother says, "It helps your nose breathe easily" and "strengthen your immune system". It says absolutely nothing about treating illness. It also claims "clinically proven", but I suppose that those tests were done in the Sinupret Inc. Clinic.
In fact, on the Sinupret for Kids website they post what Dr. Bob Sears says about this treatment in response to the question, "What relief does it offer?" Note that there are no claims to treat an actual illness!
Sears: Well, it's an effective support of healthy respiratory functions. It actually helps boost your immune system. It's really the only natural product that has clinical research behind it, safety research, efficacy research, and I think it works fantastically. I think that's what parents are looking for. They are looking for a natural approach for their kids instead of just turning to medications all the time.
To me it looks like more snake oil peddled to the ignorant and fearful. The problem is that the pathos heavy advertising compels parents to administer something that likely does no good, and may even be harmful.
This is why my skin crawled when I saw the Sinupret for Kids commercial. Here a mother and child lie in a field of daisies arguing gently about who loves the other more. The obvious corollary is that because the mother loves the daughter, she's giving her Sinupret to treat her colds. Oh, and "boost her immune system".
What is Sinupret? It is a proprietary combination of herbs, including European Elder, Common Sorrel, Cowslip, European Vervain, and Gentian. I don't know what these do, but Europen Elder is Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) a plant that absolutely generates cyanogenic glycosides as secondary metabolites that I'm sure could be poisonous.
Does Sinupret for Kids work? Well the evidence from the scientific literature does not support its use. Enter "sinupret" into PubMed and you'll find 23 articles since 1972. None of them is in a highly reputable scientific journal, and I could not access most of them through the subscriptions of a major university. From the abstracts and titles none are based on randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trials in large trails. Although there are apparently some significant results for various maladies, these are apparently small trials in Russian or German journals that may or may not be refereed.
Here's where I have a problem. When parents live in fear of medicines to be administered to their children, they will turn to these allegedly "safe" alternatives. This has two problems. 1. There is no evidence of their efficacy, so child remains ill and the problem goes untreated- it may spread to vulnerable people such as other children, the elderly or immunocompromised. 2. Plant products can be biologically active and their effects are not necessarily specific. Dosages are not consistent. Other compounds with unintended effects may reside in these seemingly innocuous concoctions.
So, should this be given to children? I would demand some evidence of efficacy and no harm first. Look at medications like hydrocodone- used safely for decades and only now are we finding some adverse effects in subsets of patients. It takes a long time of careful surveillance to truly understand all effects.
The claims of the commercial are skillfully crafted to fit within the FDA claims and limits for dietary supplements. Listen carefully. The mother says, "It helps your nose breathe easily" and "strengthen your immune system". It says absolutely nothing about treating illness. It also claims "clinically proven", but I suppose that those tests were done in the Sinupret Inc. Clinic.
In fact, on the Sinupret for Kids website they post what Dr. Bob Sears says about this treatment in response to the question, "What relief does it offer?" Note that there are no claims to treat an actual illness!
Sears: Well, it's an effective support of healthy respiratory functions. It actually helps boost your immune system. It's really the only natural product that has clinical research behind it, safety research, efficacy research, and I think it works fantastically. I think that's what parents are looking for. They are looking for a natural approach for their kids instead of just turning to medications all the time.
To me it looks like more snake oil peddled to the ignorant and fearful. The problem is that the pathos heavy advertising compels parents to administer something that likely does no good, and may even be harmful.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A Sad, but Important Website. WWJD?
After you read this, go to www.californiansagainsthate.com .
It is a list of those that gave to fight fairness, a list of those that gave generously to support legislation to strip the rights of people to enjoy equal protection under the law- because of who they chose to love. It is a list of the fearful. It is a list of the ignorant.
When I read down the list I was overwhelmed with a sad wave of how pathetic it truly is. Supporter after supporter, foundation after foundation, providing thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and yes, millions of dollars to fund discrimination. Churches and affiliated religious groups used their tax fee income to do harm. As I scrolled down with the arrow key the little square on the scroll bar could not descend fast enough. When you finally get to the bottom, there is another page. This represents only those that gave over $5000.
All of these millions upon millions were used to generate advertising and hiring of personnel to support California's Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that stripped the rights of homosexuals to enjoy the same fundamental rights as any heterosexual in a committed relationship. Yes, the Constitution was amended to limit personal liberty. Put that in your hymnal and smoke it.
Read this list carefully. Pay attention to the companies that populate it and the individuals that rest within. Make sure you don't support them or their products or services.
Most of all, think of how that money could have gone to do good. How could that money change the lives of families, feed the poor, teach, heal or reform, dare I say perpetuate the values consistent with those that are Jesus-y? I ask, what would Jesus do? Back at ya, a-hole! What would HE DO? What would he choose to do with millions of dollars? From what I remember he wouldn't crap on people because he disagreed with who they chose to fall in love with.
Instead we see how the pious and self-righteous use these funds for discrimination, separating out a class of American citizens. I'm glad that there is an internet and its undying memory. Someday we'll look back to this in shame.
Here are just a small set of companies and individuals that gave generously to destroy relationships, hinder fairness and retract liberty. How anti-freedom and anti-American can you get? In tight times, please spend your money with other companies that do not financially support discrimination. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but a few small companies that should stand in the illumination of public scrutiny for their decisions.
360 Systems, Westlake Village, CA; Mary Fellars, DDS, Vista CA; Big O Tires, Redding, Redding, CA; Allyn Izu, Lakewood, CA Physical Therapist, Anne Olsen, Villa Park, CA Pacific Legacy Real Estate Investments, Inc.; April Valusek, Real Estate, Thousand Oaks, CA; Clark Hatch, Aqua Clear Farms, Brea, CA; Debora Fenn,Fenn Termite & Pest, Buena Park, CA; Heather Clawson, Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA; Jonathan W. Starr, Remax Masters, Covina, CA;Randall Steele, Owner,Seed Factory, Modesto, CA; Ruth Kelly, Big Adventure Child Care, Anaheim, CA; Steven Bush, CEO, Prestige Preschool, La Crescenta, CA; U-Rent, Inc., Camarillo, CA; Alan Stock, CEO of Cinemark Theaters, Plano, Texas; Belinda Vandersloot, Idaho Falls, ID, the wife of Melaleuca–The Wellness Company President and CEO Frank Vandersloot. The last one was in for $100,000.
It is a list of those that gave to fight fairness, a list of those that gave generously to support legislation to strip the rights of people to enjoy equal protection under the law- because of who they chose to love. It is a list of the fearful. It is a list of the ignorant.
When I read down the list I was overwhelmed with a sad wave of how pathetic it truly is. Supporter after supporter, foundation after foundation, providing thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and yes, millions of dollars to fund discrimination. Churches and affiliated religious groups used their tax fee income to do harm. As I scrolled down with the arrow key the little square on the scroll bar could not descend fast enough. When you finally get to the bottom, there is another page. This represents only those that gave over $5000.
All of these millions upon millions were used to generate advertising and hiring of personnel to support California's Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that stripped the rights of homosexuals to enjoy the same fundamental rights as any heterosexual in a committed relationship. Yes, the Constitution was amended to limit personal liberty. Put that in your hymnal and smoke it.
Read this list carefully. Pay attention to the companies that populate it and the individuals that rest within. Make sure you don't support them or their products or services.
Most of all, think of how that money could have gone to do good. How could that money change the lives of families, feed the poor, teach, heal or reform, dare I say perpetuate the values consistent with those that are Jesus-y? I ask, what would Jesus do? Back at ya, a-hole! What would HE DO? What would he choose to do with millions of dollars? From what I remember he wouldn't crap on people because he disagreed with who they chose to fall in love with.
Instead we see how the pious and self-righteous use these funds for discrimination, separating out a class of American citizens. I'm glad that there is an internet and its undying memory. Someday we'll look back to this in shame.
Here are just a small set of companies and individuals that gave generously to destroy relationships, hinder fairness and retract liberty. How anti-freedom and anti-American can you get? In tight times, please spend your money with other companies that do not financially support discrimination. This is just the tip of the iceberg, but a few small companies that should stand in the illumination of public scrutiny for their decisions.
360 Systems, Westlake Village, CA; Mary Fellars, DDS, Vista CA; Big O Tires, Redding, Redding, CA; Allyn Izu, Lakewood, CA Physical Therapist, Anne Olsen, Villa Park, CA Pacific Legacy Real Estate Investments, Inc.; April Valusek, Real Estate, Thousand Oaks, CA; Clark Hatch, Aqua Clear Farms, Brea, CA; Debora Fenn,Fenn Termite & Pest, Buena Park, CA; Heather Clawson, Golden Spoon Frozen Yogurt, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA; Jonathan W. Starr, Remax Masters, Covina, CA;Randall Steele, Owner,Seed Factory, Modesto, CA; Ruth Kelly, Big Adventure Child Care, Anaheim, CA; Steven Bush, CEO, Prestige Preschool, La Crescenta, CA; U-Rent, Inc., Camarillo, CA; Alan Stock, CEO of Cinemark Theaters, Plano, Texas; Belinda Vandersloot, Idaho Falls, ID, the wife of Melaleuca–The Wellness Company President and CEO Frank Vandersloot. The last one was in for $100,000.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Huzzah for the Buzz (Buzzed) Aldrin!
My lifelong passion for science has included frequent test of the hypothesis, "If I drink this it will taste good and make me feel silly". It comes from my chosen path. If you gotta get all wound up, you'll need to wind down, and a glass of wine, a bottle of beer is a must have.
For years I have experimented with Mixology. One of the greatest drinks was first published in 1994 in a self-published book that contained drink recipes. One of them, the Buzz Aldrin, which is basically vodka infused with Tang. It actually is really good!
Recently I submitted the concoction to a contest on Skepchick. On November 13 it was posted to have made the first cut, and was in the finals in NYC! I got beat by the "Sylvia Browne" in the finals, but not bad!
There has been some drift in the proper naming of the beverage, as it has been referred to as the "Buzzed Aldrin", but that's okay too. The Buzz Aldrin has gained some traction, with frequent reference in the text of the blog. It is indeed a testament to creative concocting and open-minded consumption.
For years I have experimented with Mixology. One of the greatest drinks was first published in 1994 in a self-published book that contained drink recipes. One of them, the Buzz Aldrin, which is basically vodka infused with Tang. It actually is really good!
Recently I submitted the concoction to a contest on Skepchick. On November 13 it was posted to have made the first cut, and was in the finals in NYC! I got beat by the "Sylvia Browne" in the finals, but not bad!
There has been some drift in the proper naming of the beverage, as it has been referred to as the "Buzzed Aldrin", but that's okay too. The Buzz Aldrin has gained some traction, with frequent reference in the text of the blog. It is indeed a testament to creative concocting and open-minded consumption.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Why We Hate Lawyers
Everyone has heard the story of Casey Anthony and her missing daughter Caylee. In short, a 3-year-old girl went missing, her mother reported it a month later. The mother and grandparents have obfuscated details and fought police and public attempts to find the child.
In my opinion, the mother killed the kid and hid the body. The evidence and timeline can be observed elsewhere. The point of this note is to talk about why I hate high-profile prick attorneys.
Casey Anthony has attained the assistance of a high profile legal team. Her defense includes noted forensic expert Henry Lee (who defended OJ), Larry Kobalinski (a TV regular), Linda Kenney Baden (who got Phil Spector off the hook), and other high-profile experts.
She is getting the best of the best of defense- and all evidence points against her. Her lying and smokescreen tactics demonstrate the implicit guilt. This mother that has not cooperated with investigations is getting red-carpet defense.
This is what pisses me off. Here's a woman that in all likelihood is guilty, and now a legal dream team assembles to ensure that the jury is confused, and that credible solid police work is discredited. However, that is their job.
What makes my blood boil is that they want this case because of its visibility. It is not to defend the innocent, it is not to ensure justice-- it is to take place in a high-profile trial that will feed their egos and ensure a finger in the pie of book deals and movie deals.
Meanwhile, an innocent person sits rotting in a jail cell, represented by an overburdened and underfunded public defender. This person will not receive the benefit of first-class treatment.
In both cases we lose. A likely child killer will be set free. An innocent person will be jailed.
I don't hate lawyers, just the ones that chase an ambulance, especially if it has a camera on the back and a potential book or movie deal attached. Their defense of the indefensible subverts justice rather than protecting it, and is a detriment to the efficacy of our legal system.
In my opinion, the mother killed the kid and hid the body. The evidence and timeline can be observed elsewhere. The point of this note is to talk about why I hate high-profile prick attorneys.
Casey Anthony has attained the assistance of a high profile legal team. Her defense includes noted forensic expert Henry Lee (who defended OJ), Larry Kobalinski (a TV regular), Linda Kenney Baden (who got Phil Spector off the hook), and other high-profile experts.
She is getting the best of the best of defense- and all evidence points against her. Her lying and smokescreen tactics demonstrate the implicit guilt. This mother that has not cooperated with investigations is getting red-carpet defense.
This is what pisses me off. Here's a woman that in all likelihood is guilty, and now a legal dream team assembles to ensure that the jury is confused, and that credible solid police work is discredited. However, that is their job.
What makes my blood boil is that they want this case because of its visibility. It is not to defend the innocent, it is not to ensure justice-- it is to take place in a high-profile trial that will feed their egos and ensure a finger in the pie of book deals and movie deals.
Meanwhile, an innocent person sits rotting in a jail cell, represented by an overburdened and underfunded public defender. This person will not receive the benefit of first-class treatment.
In both cases we lose. A likely child killer will be set free. An innocent person will be jailed.
I don't hate lawyers, just the ones that chase an ambulance, especially if it has a camera on the back and a potential book or movie deal attached. Their defense of the indefensible subverts justice rather than protecting it, and is a detriment to the efficacy of our legal system.
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