Detox Diets are a Waste of Money

‘Detox’ has no meaning outside of the clinical treatment for drug addiction or poisoning. Today young scientists and engineers are publishing a dossier on their hunt for the evidence behind detox claims made for products and diets, and beginning a campaign to alert the public. They found:

1. No two companies seem to use the same definition of ‘detox’.
2. Little, and in most cases no, evidence was offered to back up the detox claims.
3. In the majority of cases, producers and retailers contacted by the young scientists were forced to admit that they are renaming mundane things, like cleaning or brushing, as ‘detox’.
4. They range in price from £1-2 for a detox drink to £36.95 for detox bath accessories.

The dossier shows that, while companies and individuals now use the claim ‘detox’ to promote everything from foot patches to hair straighteners, they are unable to provide reliable evidence or consistent explanations of what the ‘detox’ process is supposed to be.

The investigation has been conducted by the Voice of Young Science (VoYS) network of over 300 early career researchers. It follows the publication of “There Goes The Science Bit…” with the charity Sense About Science a year ago, when a group of young scientists exposed dodgy science claims by making phone calls to product manufacturers. After widespread publicity for the publication, they received many subsequent examples, where the word ‘detox’ came up repeatedly, and offers of help. This led to a rapidly growing network of evidence hunters and this new investigation.

Today, as the dossier is published, many of the scientists involved - including physiologists, biochemists, doctors and pharmacists - will be launching their own ‘detox’ leaflet, Debunking Detox, to the public outside high street retailers in central London. The leaflet promotes the liver and kidneys as a fantastic ‘detox’ system and explains why there is no need to spend money on expensive products and treatments.

Does the Catholic Church Use Mind Control Techniques?

Mind control techniques have been around for thousands of years, and have been used in many forms. One can understand why the human mind is so easy to manipulate when you consider our evolutionary history. The mind-body system of today's modern men and women was developed to survive a harsh environment filled with dangers and uncertainties. One way the mind adapted to was to create several short cuts in thinking. These saved precious time as impulse took over to either protect our ancestors from getting eaten by a predator, or being able to take advantage of an opportunity that wouldn't last very long.

A shortcut in thinking is wonderful if it can help you survive and to find food, but can be disastrous if purposely used to benefit somebody without your best interests in mind.

Two of the most powerful external stimuli that trigger these thinking shortcuts are social proof and authority. When there is a crowd of people doing something, regardless of what it is, it can be very difficult to resist going along with the crowd. Likewise, when an authority figure such as a popular politician, or a doctor or a Catholic priest gives an instruction, it is difficult to counter it with rational thought.

When these two are combined, they have a powerful effect on the human mind, numbing it from rational resistance, and causing people to make decisions that they wouldn't otherwise likely make.

One powerful organization that has made use of these for thousands of years, either by design or by accident, is the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is responsible or unimaginable charity and goodwill, as they have been well known for feeding the hungry, giving shelter to the poor, and comforting the sick.

The use of these two techniques to persuade and lead their followers is unquestionable. Those that have studied the Catholic Mass from this perspective know the beauty with which these techniques are used to deliver that message.

Because of these ideas, many people are starting to realize that Zapotec is the novel that is causing readers everywhere to rethink these concepts. Unless you have an incredibly strong grasp of your faith, please don't read this book, for it has proven to shake beliefs to their very core.

Because people can readily think of ways to appreciate those insights, you will likely enjoy George Hutton's widely read Zapotec. One of the reasons many like you are starting to quickly discover that Zapotec may easily be one of the most gripping novels to come out in a long time is the incredible hidden truth. You can learn more, and find out what others are saying when you visit http://www.georgehutton.net/zapotec

Is Futurology Just Another Pseudo Science?

Scientists are often a little miffed when psychologists, social-scientists, economists, philosophers try to purport they are also in the sciences and that their research is at the same level. Many real scientists get upset with the ease to which Ph.D.'s are awarded for the social sciences, many are able to get their degrees without nearly the rigorous work that actual rocket scientists go through. Often, students in college choose the social science degree programs because they are less work, and easier to complete.

Now, when we call all these other so-called-sciences, pseudo-sciences it really makes those who work in these fields angry that we think of them as lesser. Personally speaking, I am one of those hard-core folks who dismiss these areas of studies as nothing more than pseudo-sciences, so I am perhaps, not well liked by those who hold such degrees.

Next, I'd like to mention another study or area of thought that could be said to be an extension of Philosophy, Social Science, technology, history and psychology; the study of futurology. You may recall hearing the label; Futurist?

A person who studies the future, and when you think about this, you may also agree that it does not necessarily belong in the science category. And although it uses current technology and science as well as the others mentioned to predict and determine possible futures, you probably see it as a little bit of crystal ball gazing mixed with a "generalist" understanding of industry, society, technology and the likes. So, if you see Futurology as a Pseudo Science, you could be right. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow is a retired franchisor - Lance Winslow's Bio. Lance Winslow is formerly the CEO of WashGuys family of franchises which Lance; http://www.windowwashguys.com/links.shtml/.

Do You Have the Guts to Oppose the Mindless Masses, Persnickety Public and Rioting Mobs?

Beware the mob, or some historian philosopher once said. Indeed that is very good advice, humans often act like rabid dogs, and get a little bit out of control when they get into big groups. They are often quick to fight and do things they would never normally do by themselves, but somehow feel it emboldened by the crowd. Today, we see flash mobs and mobile Internet devices that allow people to communicate rapidly and organize quickly. This can be both good and bad.

These mass mobs can be good in the event of an emergency or a terrorist attack. They can be good to prevent wasted time on the freeway when you could easily go a different way to avoid an accident. They can even be good if a group of your friends just wants to have a good time and you all decide to be in a certain place at a certain time spontaneously.

Of course, they can be very bad if a hostile group of protesters decides to riots in a common against what's best for the common good. When a crowd emerges of this type, we should be aware, and our authority should be very careful because if the crowd goes out of control there is no way to stop the onslaught or blitz of bad behavior. The question is do we have the balls to oppose the mindless masses, the persnickety public, or the riding mobs when these things occur.

Should we ban the political will of these mobs, or do we demand that they uphold law and order, and take out their grievances in a more civilized way? We need to have this national discussion before things get out of hand in the future and people get hurt, buildings get destroyed and lives are lost. Please consider this.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. Lance Winslow is also Founder of the Car Wash Guys, a cool little Franchise Company; http://www.carwashguys.com/history/founder.html/.

Bullfighting - Culture Or Cruelty?

According to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, in Latin America and Europe combined, approximately 250,000 bulls die each year. Do these bulls fall prey to a deadly virus, perhaps? Far from it. The bulls are tortured and killed for the sake of entertainment. Have we evolved at all since the Roman times?

Latest polls show that over 72% of Spanish citizens have no interest in bullfighting, yet, because of a small group of influential people in Spain, this inhumane tradition is being kept alive. Fortunately, in Europe and Latin America a growing segment of the population is standing up against bullfighting and calling for an end to this cruel spectacle.

Here to talk about bullfighting and what we can do to help is Alyx Dow, Programmes Officer (Anti-Bullfighting) for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA)

Thank you for this interview, Alyx. Could you start by giving us some historical information on how bullfighting began? What is its origin?

There is not much specific information on how or where bullfighting began, but it is thought to date back to Roman times when many different species of animal were killed for the sake of entertainment in public arenas.

Bulls were also sacrificed for religious purposes and more recently, bullfights were (and often still are) held on Sundays, as part of Christian Saints festivals.

Most people associate bullfighting with Spain. Besides Spain, which other countries practice bullfighting?

Within Europe, bullfighting can be found in Spain, France and Portugal. Approximately 40,000 bulls die in bullfights every year in Europe.

In Latin America, bullfighting can be found in Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. 'Bloodless' bullfights can also be found in the USA. Approximately 210,000 bulls in bullfights die every year in Latin America.

Does bullfighting differ according to the country? If so, in what way?

There are 3 types of bullfighting 'styles' - Spanish, French and Portuguese. The Spanish version is the most common across both Europe and Latin America. Bulls die in both the Spanish and Portuguese versions, although in the Portuguese style it happens behind the scenes, after the bullfight has finished. The French style does not lead to the death of the bull but is also very stressful for the animals involved.

A lot of people ignore what really happens during a bullfight. They have a simple, even romantic image of a torero taunting a bull and of one final thrust of the sword bringing death to the animal. What exactly takes place during a bullfight?

In the Spanish style, which is the most common, there are 3 stages:

1. After the bull enters the ring, toreros wave capes so that the bull charges several times. This is followed by the entrance of the picadors on horseback, who drive a long spear into the bulls back. Both of these short stages are designed to tire the bull and weaken its neck and shoulder muscles, causing it to drop its head. There is also a significant risk to the horses involved - although they wear padding, the experience is very stressful for them and can cause serious or fatal injury.

2. Men called banderilleros enter the ring and use weapons called banderillas (colourful short spears with harpoon ends) which further weaken the bull when they are stabbed into the top of the bulls back. By this point the bull has lost a significant amount of blood and is exhausted.

3. The matador enters with a cape and sword. Tiring the bull further with several runs at the cape, the matador thrusts the sword through the bulls back, with the intention of severing the aorta. The sword often misses, piercing the lungs and the bull drowns in its own blood - as can be witnessed when bulls are often be seen with blood pouring from their nose and mouth at the end. If the bull does not die quickly, a small knife is used to sever its spinal cord at the neck. If the crowd deems it a 'good' kill, the matador is 'awarded' the bull's ears and tail which he cuts off himself (the bull is often still alive during this).

The whole process takes approximately 20 minutes - and the bull suffers an agonizing and torturous death.

In spite of bullfighting being a cruel and inhumane tradition, many people-not only Spaniards-watch this spectacle. Why do you think this is and what does this say about human nature?

Within bullfighting countries there is a small but strong following that keeps bullfighting alive, largely based on the claim that it is part of the country's culture. All bullfighting countries have a fascinating history, with a rich culture that they should be proud of. However, evidence is showing us that most citizens of these countries do not want animal cruelty to be part of their heritage. Just as with the ban on foxhunting in the UK, citizens are speaking out about the importance of animal welfare over an archaic 'tradition' that is neither necessary nor humane.

The latest polls in Spain show us that over 72% of Spanish people have no interest in bullfighting. This climbs to over 80% in the autonomous region of Catalonia. Anti-bullfighting sentiment is growing across Europe and Latin America - people are standing up against the protection of bullfighting as part of national heritage and calling for an end to this cruel spectacle.

Furthermore, the WSPA believes that culture is no excuse for cruelty, no matter where in the world it happens or the rationale behind it.

Unfortunately a huge amount of support also comes from tourism; again because tourists are led to believe that bullfighting is part of a particular country. They are unwittingly supporting a dying industry that thrives on the torture of an animal: many leave the fights shaken and disturbed by what they have witnessed, which is, simply, animal cruelty for the sake of entertainment.

What arguments do supporters of bullfighting use to defend their tradition?

They use many arguments to defend the spectacle, mostly in reference to culture and the economy. You can read more on these ongoing debates at Bullfightingfreeeurope.org, a website sponsored by WSPA and ten other animal protection groups across Europe.

What is the WSPA doing to end bullfighting? Have there been any significant developments in the last few years?

In Catalonia, WSPA is running its Culture Without Cruelty campaign with member society ADDA, and there have been a series of successes in the region in recent years. 47 towns, including Barcelona, have declared themselves anti-bullfighting. You can sign our petition, calling for a ban on bullfighting in Catalonia, at our WSPA website.

In Spain, WSPA is supporting work done by member society, Stopourshame.com, who are working to end the national subsidies (funded by Spanish taxpayers) given to the bullfighting industry, which total a staggering 530 million Euros a year.

In France, 3 towns have recently declared their anti-bullfighting status. You can find out more at Anticorrida.com.

WSPA is also working closely with an alliance of ten other animal protection organizations from across Europe to tackle the issue at European level. The EU currently gives subsidies (funded by EU taxpayers) to breeders of fighting bulls, as part of its annual agricultural subsidy system. We recently held a series of events in Brussels at the European Parliament to highlight this issue and call on Parliamentarians and the Commission to end these subsidies. You can find out more at Bullfightingfreeeurope.org

In Latin America many of WSPA's member societies are working towards bans of bullfighting across the region. The first two anti-bullfighting towns in the region have recently been declared. In Medellin, Colombia, the first ever group of anti-bullfighting city councilors has been established. You can keep up to date with the latest developments on the WSPA International website.

What is Spain's position?

In Spain, there is a small group of powerful and influential people behind the bullfighting industry that are keeping it alive. Bullrings are suffering from declining attendance and a lack of patience from the public in terms of its increasing awareness of animal welfare. Unfortunately, government officials often hesitate to speak out against the spectacle; as was the case a few years ago with foxhunting in the UK. However, the Spanish people are telling us they have had enough, as shown in Catalonia and the Canary Islands (who have also banned bullfighting), and by the recent banning of the broadcast of bullfights on state TV, following the assertion that it is too violent for children. We think it is about time that the government listens to its citizens and ends bullfighting for good in Spain.

Do you see Spain making bullfighting illegal any time soon?

Based on public opinion polls that have been done, dwindling attendance at bullfights as well as the achievements in recent years in getting anti-bullfighting declarations, we are confident that bullfighting is a dying industry that is destined to be banned in the near future.

Is there a way bullfighting could be modified to become a humane practice?

No - the practice would still involve placing an animal into an unnatural situation that causes the animal stress and anxiety, for the sake of entertainment. WSPA wants to see an end to bullfighting worldwide, in all its forms.

What can Spaniards do to help stop bullfighting in Spain?

Spanish people can help to end bullfighting in their country by writing to their local politicians and high level officials within the government, expressing their wish for national subsidies to the bullfighting industry to end, and for their to be a national legislative ban on bullfighting in Spain. They can also avoid attending bullfights and spreading the word to their friends and family.

They can also sign our petition to achieve a ban in Catalonia which can be found at the WSPA website.

Another way to help is to support their local animal welfare organizations, either through donations or by attending peaceful events that call on the government to end bullfighting.

Is there anything else you'd like to say to our readers?

The WSPA is also campaigning for a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) at the United Nations - international recognition that animals matter and governments should be doing more to protect them. Such an agreement would help us talk to governments about issues like bullfighting. You can sign the petition in support at Animalsmatter.org.

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer my questions on this important subject. I would like to end this interview by quoting some wise words from Mahatma Ghandi: "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Mayra Calvani is an author, reviewer, and animal advocate. Visit her blog, The Dark Phantom Review.

Rants from Lance on Gay Marriage and Rights Issues

Let me begin by saying that I have some gay acquaintances and these folks seem to be okay and not part of the gay fringe I speak of in this rant. Okay here it goes...

I am totally pissed off; on one hand gays want the right to be accepted, respected and enjoy their god given Constitutional Rights to get married. Then they self segregate away from the rest of us. Then they call us names. Homophobic, taunt the ever living crap out of people, challenge people to fights, but god help you if knock one on their ass for staring at yours and making sexual comments in line at a Starbucks. This behavior is utter Bull Sh_t.

So let them all get married, screw it. Let them go do whatever they want under one condition, they stop this insane game playing, taunting and then threats, intimidation and crap. It is really annoying and unprofessional and there is a group that carries on and thinks it is funny knowing you cannot knock them up side the head. Often the gay fringe purposely go around screwing with people like little childish kids. NA NA NA NA NA. It is sickening behavior. But if anyone says anything about it, you just watch as they jump on this comment like a ton of bricks, oh they can dish it out, but don't call them a name like they do to you or you are Racist, a NAZI, homosphobic, need mental help. What a bunch of utter hokum indeed.

No wonder everyone votes down every gay and lesbian marriage issue. People are tired of it. Now the gay women do not go around doing this do they? No it is only the childish men, the younger gays, who just will not leave it alone. Why is that? Why can't they control themselves? Why do they go around picking fights? Why do they threaten businesses and people who do not agree with them? Tolerance is one thing, but in your face, dare you not to hit me, is another, quite another.

There needs to be laws against this or there should be a law that if they do it, you can return comments or knock them silly. If they are big buff type, knock them even harder? Why not, they go around provoking fights? Many of them do it all the time. If the gay and lesbian community cannot control their own, in this way, there is no way in hell the public will vote for gay marriage. No way. And if we reward their bad behavior by allowing them to get married, will they stop or become more emboldened to demand more?

If they get married will they mellow out in public? Or will they continue this general harassment, knowing you cannot do a darn thing about it? Can we trust the gay community to chill out, if marriage is allowed? Doubtful. Why can't they or won't they get along. And I realize this is not the majority and that their small minority fringe is out of control, but they do not seem to care, even though it is now affecting public attitude towards the whole gay and lesbian community. And in advance anyone who call me homophobic you can go to hell. Provided there is such a place? End of Rant from Lance.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

The American Abolitionist Movement

The abolitionist movement, which represented the earliest days of the American Civil Rights Movement, succeeded in every northern state by 1804, although there were still at least a dozen "permanent apprentices" listed in the 1860 census. Three northern organizations advocating this reform were the Society of Friends (Quakers), the Pennsylvania Antislavery Society, and the New York Manumission Society.

This latter group was run by powerful Federalists John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. The Federalists opposed State's Rights, arguing for federal legislation abolishing slavery. New York finally abolished slavery, gradually, starting in 1799, making this the largest emancipation of American slaves in history before 1863. New Jersey was the last northern state to abolish slavery, in 1804.

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 agreed to allow the federal government to abolish the international slave trade, and by that time, all the existing states but Georgia had passed laws abolishing or severely limiting the slave trade. Georgia finally passed similar laws in 1798 - and the importation of slaves into the USA was officially abolished on New Year's Day in 1808. This was a major move in the direction of abolition.

However, in the 1830s, the Postmaster General refused to allow the U.S. mails to deliver abolition pamphlets to the South. Northern teachers suspected of anti-slavery "tendencies" were expelled from the South, and abolitionist literature was banned in those states. Southerners were claiming that incidents like John Brown's attempt at Harper's Ferry in 1859 to start a slave uprising was proof northerners were conspiring against them to cause war through slave rebellions.

The North, simply put, was dead set against the South's prevailing attitudes about slavery. Eric Foner once stated: "Northerners came to view slavery as the very antithesis of the good society, as well as a threat to their own fundamental values and interests." However, northern conservatives feared the migration of a large number of freemen into the North, as they tended to accept lower pay. They were being seen, like today's illegal Mexican-American workers, as "undercutting prevailing wages." It was feared that former slaves would cause deep pay cuts for all American workers, especially white ones.

In spite of such difficulties, one white abolitionist, Massachusetts's Abby Kelley Foster, became an "ultra," advocating not only abolition but full civil rights for all black people. An agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society, Foster, known usually as Abby Kelley, thought that free slaves should colonize the new African nation of Liberia. She also recruited Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone, other American feminist leaders, to the early Civil Rights Movement. Kelley, who inspired other young women to be known as "Abby Kelleyites," often shared her platform with ex-slaves - despite the additional scorn this entailed. "I rejoice to be identified with the despised people of color. If they are to be despised, so ought their advocates to be," was one of her famous quotes.

Another well-known abolitionist was the wizened but charming black woman known as Sojourner Truth. Her first speaking engagement was with Abby Kelley. Truth originally had the Dutch slave name Isabella Baumfree, but changed her name because "the Spirit calls me." She wasn't much for the white man's religion, though, and frequently spoke against slavery and the mental picture of black women being "unladylike" and subhuman. She was born into slavery in New York, enduring frequent beatings at the hands of her white masters and mistresses.

At one point in time, she was on one of her many "sojourns," or journeys, and a streetcar run by a white male conductor wouldn't stop to pick her up, refusing her as a passenger. She bravely ran along the track and leaped into the path of the streetcar, gauging the distance exactly right, making the conductor stop for her. Her most famous speech was the simply put, "Ain't I a Woman?" where she also gave us the following quote, revised from her 19th century dialect:

"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it. The men better let them." Maybe that reference is where Dr. King got the idea of making "valleys into hills and hills into valleys," but it's also a Biblical reference. I'll tell you a bit more about the origins of American black religious faith and how they led to Dr. King being a minister toward the end of this section.

Anyway, this quote from Truth's popular speech was spoken at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention, and her recurrent theme was probably based on an incident where a heckler in the audience had called her a man. She proudly opened her blouse, revealing her breasts, a typically bold move on her part which likely led to "Ain't I a Woman?" I guess even your enemies can help you be productive, as in the case in 1960's Birmingham, where local black civil rights leaders said that Police Commissioner "Bull" O'Connor and his violent anti-black tactics were "helping the Movement," due to all the media attention they were getting at the time.

The Catholic faith doesn't tend to exalt the poor and their elevation, which is the general black meaning of "turning things around," as much as the black version of Protestantism does. That may explain the general Catholic lack of sympathy for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s programs at first. Dr. King was the presumed head of the Civil Rights Movement in America in the 1960s.

But for Catholics, there was ample praise of Jesus' faith in the resurrection of the spirit and his attendant faith in the spirituality of all people. Blacks at the time of slavery and in much later American history continued a tendency toward religion that influenced their culture and entire way of philosophy and thought immeasurably, but Truth was probably spiritually-oriented.

She didn't like white men much, or their male-oriented religions. She organized white and black feminists alike to oppose slavery through abolition, but that and colonizing Liberia were not the only actions taken against slavery. Also, throughout American history, there have been movements to attempt the return of African-Americans to the Motherland.

Through the 1820s and 1830s, the American Colonization Society (ACS) kept proposing to stop slavery by returning to Africa, a movement which was broadly supported by both whites and blacks. They saw it as a preferable alternative to emancipation, and Black Nationalist pioneer Marcus Garvey would also start a similar movement. He founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914, opening a branch in Harlem, New York in 1916.

The UNIA was intended "to promote the spirit of race pride," and was an attempt to cause worldwide unity among all black people, establishing the greatness of their African heritage. Garvey appealed to the black lower classes and rejected any ideals or notions of racial integration. He was certain that blacks could not secure their rights in countries like the USA, where they were a racial minority group, so he began a "back to Africa" movement, and he was considered the most influential black leader of the early 1920s.

However, in the early 1800s there was a series of small attempts to plant settlements on the coast of West Africa, where most of the slaves had been originally captured, and the colony of Liberia was established circa 1821-1822. In the next four decades, thousands of American former slaves settled there. They declared independence in 1847, although not many had survived the move, as they had succumbed to local diseases. The abolition movement caused support for the colony to fade quickly, but the new Liberians ruled their country until the bloody military coup of 1980 by army personnel who assassinated President William R. Tolbert.

Therefore, due to the lack of effective other methods for handling this major American issue, the work of the abolitionists is what finally managed to help end slavery. However, in spite of multiple efforts on the parts of many, it took just about forever to get the South to agree on this. Their intense stubbornness is what led to the continuing hatred and racism ongoing throughout 1960's Birmingham, leading to the tragic deaths of many black children and the continuous bombings of dozens of peaceful citizens' homes.

Read the next article in this series, "White Concerns over Racial Differences" and the other articles in this long article series about why racism was and is so prevalent in the American South.

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Political Correctness got you down?

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I hear it all the time; you can't say that. But why not, I just did you see? Besides it's the truth isn't it? They say; "well yes, it is the truth, but you cannot say that!" Do you sometimes believe it is all a bunch of crap? We have the PC police running around telling you what you can and cannot say now? Wow, I know there is a law about how you are to do just about everything you do, but now we have unspoken laws about things you cannot speak of and it is all a big secret? And do not ask what these things are you cannot even mention it. Really? What about normal human interaction and conversation? Oh and before I continue another one of my "Rants from Lance" series here there is a good book you should read, well actually a couple of them. Okay let's begin with a book I just finished reading;

"The Ten Things You Cannot Say in America" by Larry Elders

You really should read this book before you tell anyone you are a liberal and want to help everyone. It talks about racism from a reality standpoint and exactly who is a racist and who is not. It goes heavy on the health care system, it tells the truth about the media. The topics of interest also include gun control, our impending welfare state, the war on drugs, the difference or lack of difference between democrats and republicans. The book is extremely controversial and funny with some bizarre stories and incidents that will make you mad, make you laugh and make you puke. It is important that you understand the reality of what is going on before passing judgment. You will like it even if parts piss you off. I came away with laughter. Tell me what you think.

Interested In Making Money On The Internet, Full Or Part Time, Easy Proven And Succesful Methods, http://www.keys2prosperity.net/

Don't Keep It Simple, Stupid - We're Not All Mental Vegetables, Mental Couch Potatoes

I heard of the KISS system long ago - keep it simple, stupid. That came to mind the other day when I read that complexity was the kiss of death on the web. People don't want more than one idea per article - and that idea had better be nice and easy. Dense writing does not get read. That's it, plain and simple.

Plus, people don't want hard words - don't use a long word if a short one will do. Big words turn people off.

Which people, I wondered? And if it's true, just what does this mean? Is this the kiss of death for thinking?

I thought of Dead Poet's Society, a brilliant film about a teacher who really reaches students. The message is the opposite. Use vivid language. Don't always say sad. Say glum, morose, grief-stricken, sullen.

And I thought of my students. Many of them, college students, display mental rigidity - almost a rigor mortis of the brain when it comes to some ideas. All opinions are equal, they hold - and can't recognize that KKK opinions might not have as much validity as opinions based on evidence, in this case evidence that humans, whatever our race, are inherently equal (basic equality in intellectual and emotional range).

Evidence is irrelevant to most of my students, when it comes to opinions. How can I possibly bring up something like evidence in relationship with opinions? Even more horrific, how can I possibly question that all opinions are equal? They look at me as if I were some alien monster.

But, I counter, their opinion means that the opinion that all opinions are not equal is just as valid as the opinion that all opinions are equal. After all, all opinions are equal - even the opinion that they are not equal. That's a contradiction, I continue. Again, that's irrelevant to most of them. Many faces turn blank and stony.

The wall.

For more on the inequality of opinions, read Stupid Opinion #2:

http://www.elsas-word-story-image-idea-music-emporium.com/the-idea-emporium-stupid-opinion-2.html

For another stupid opinion, click onto Stupid Opinion #1 - the stupid opinion that we are all where we are meant to be. Millions of people hold onto it as if to give it up meant death - though this opinion means that every rape victim, murder victim, everyone who dies in a genocide is where they are meant to be.

I said, don't keep it simple.

But I am keeping it simple. And my point is equally simple: we need quality, we need works that challenge and stimulate - or we get mental couch potatoes.

Our brains, like our bodies, need to learn how to function well - or our thinking is as clumsy as the violin playing of someone taking their first lesson. Painful.

For stimulating thinking, try The Idea Emporium:

http://www.elsas-word-story-image-idea-music-emporium.com/the-idea-emporium-3.html

I don't know if quality triumphs every time. Actually I know it doesn't. Lots of people like junk food - and junk thinking.

I do know that, with ideas as with food, in many ways, you very often are what you eat.

Many foods are linked with cancer. I wonder what poor thought patterns contribute to cancer of the thought processes.

Responses welcome.

Elsa

****

This piece was sparked by a brief blog entry on EzineArticles.com. The main idea: dense writing does not get read.

The basic point: to get read on the web, keep it simple, simple, simple - in ideas, in vocabulary (a word I probably shouldn't use, as it's long!!), in every way.

I don't believe in unnecessary complexity. I also don't believe in unnecessary simple-mindedness. Flat language. Flat thinking. A flat-line brain.

I love to think. And I find it boring to be around people who don't. Imagine dance - two moves only, everything else is just too much. A painting - two shapes only. Nothing too difficult. And so on, ad nauseum.

As a species, we feed on challenge. I have just been learning web design. Frustrating - and fascinating.

****

Another thought on the importance of ongoing mental challenge. A longitudinal study was done on a group of nuns. The finding. Those who, when young, had mental flexibility, a large vocabulary, as well as a wide range of interests and thought patterns, were mentally undiminished in old age. On the other hand, those nuns with a narrow and rigid thought range were often senile - with deep ruts, it seems, dug into their brains.

Of course it's not so simple: some brilliant people are felled by Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. But it was great to find out something that made deep intuitive sense to me: mental flexiblity is developed and needs to be exercised. It doesn't just happen.

I have an 83-uear-old dance teacher. Very mentally alert, always ready to see what I've learned, always responsive to the world around her - which includes keeping up with what's new and changing in the dance world. She listens outward - instead of deepening ruts in her brain. A delight to be around.

****

Elsa - prof, writer, visual artist, thinker, performer. Love life, thinking, creating, doing, reaching. All my life, creativity has played an enormous part. The magic of story, music, songs, imagining. Also, the magic of thinking well, creatively.

Website:

http://elsas-word-story-image-idea-music-emporium.com

"It is a fact readily acknowledged, that for humans, an idea is much more powerful than a fact." One idea: just as ideas can close our minds, they can open them to new worlds and visions.

Are Blogs Meant for Raves and Rants?

Blogging is the latest internet craze and it may turn out to be just that and killed off if the avalanche of misinformation continues. One is amazed at how an excellent online medium is promoted for all the wrong reasons.

Now here are some strange concepts promoted about blogs.

'…blog on about the sex life of the Tasmanian fruit fly and still reap big rewards'
(I would certainly like to know if anyone can tell me)

"Turn Your Personal Opinions, Rants And Raves Into New Subscribers…"

There are hundreds of articles on blogging, promoting a concept of raving and ranting on web space by anyone who wants to have the voyeuristic pleasure of making their maniacal moaning public. What is the purpose of promoting such a concept is something beyond the comprehension of any intelligent person.

Blogs undoubtedly remain the best innovation since the beginnings of internet, putting a web page within the reach of an average person, who has no technical knowledge of web page creation. Anyone can easily create a web page on a pre-designed template by just typing out information which they want to share.

Every individual has something valuable to say in his or her sphere of activity or expertise. Every individual has interesting opinions about life, society, politics, economics, business or anything else which you feel strongly about. Blogs or web log is a journal where you can record your views and opinions and make it available to other people who are interested in the subject.

The key is sharing 'Valuable' comments and insights on a subject matter if you want to run a public web log. Somehow the concept got promoted that you can put any kind of incomprehensible ravings on a blog and the result, millions of blogs out there which has nothing much to say except meaningless chatter.

Just imagine your personal diary filled with page after page of meaningless scribbling. Someone reading them in the distant future will throw it out with disgust. On the other hand if you have made insightful comments on issues and daily happenings, it will be read with interest and referred regularly for your views. That's how a blog works.

Make it personal by all means as in a diary. Let there be emotion but with information. If you want to simply rave and rant you are better off getting admitted and doing that in a nut house than on a web page. No one is going to read them in any case. You will at least save the clutter on the web sphere.

R.G. Srinivasan is a Managerial professional, Writer and Author. You can view his home-business resources blog at http://www.home-businessresources.blogspot.com for online marketing tips, resources,links and business opportunities. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=R.G._Srinivasan

Plastic surgeon drives fat-powered car

A Beverly Hills surgeon has claimed that he uses fat removed from liposuction operations to power his car.

According to Forbes, Dr Alan Bittner is under investigation from California's public health department for allegedly turning his patients' fat into biodiesel. It is against US law to use medical waste to run vehicles.

"The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel - and I have more fat than I can use," Bittner wrote on his website.

"Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly, but they get to take part in saving the Earth."

Bittner's clinic and website, lipodiesel.com, were shut down after he revealed that he was using the fat to power his Ford Explorer and his girlfriend's Lincoln Navigator.

Source digitalspy.co.uk

Don't Eat Meat, Cow Farts Cause Global Warming.

Here is the latest climate change bullshit From Those Nutty IPCC Guys. The green movement though political and in no way motivated by "green " issues, used to be funny. When they spouted their weird and wonderful bullshit, it brought a smile to your face over the breakfast table.

Then the world colleclively lost it's mind. The greens did get the power they wanted, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) arrived, people started to believe all the green crap spouted by the lunatic fringe, and the world went insane.

Still for those of us that still see them for what they are, and haven't lost our mind, in this global warming mass hysteria age in which we find ourselves. This will make you laugh.

Today after an intensive and in depth research period (probably over a lunch of nut cutlets) IPCC says we should all stop eating meat, because meat farming is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. Does that look wrong to you, cause it does to me. Cow farts cause more greenhouse gasses than volcanoes, peat bogs, etc. What they are basically saying well specifically a guy called Dr Pachauri, who was co-recipient of the nobel peace prize with Al Gore, says is, that meat production is destroying the planet.

I Personally think that if we do all stop eating meat and all become tree hugging left wing hippies, we will actually cause more harm. Trust me I lived with a vegetarian and they give off an awful lot of methane. I think it could make things worse, but that's just me.

Ok but at least we should look at what Dr Rajendra Kumar Pachauri has to say. He is well qualified being a DR of economics to advise us on climate issues, and being a hindu and strict vegetarian (source wikipedia) he doesn't have any personal axe to grind against the meat industry.

I don't know about you, but it all smells a bit like cow emissions to me.

Bad Science and why it Happens

Today's news.

The Nobel laureate and former US vice- president, Al Gore, or stupid fat headed no nothing tosser, as I affectionately like to call him. Has urged Americans to abandon electricity generated by fossil fuels within a decade.

Wow do you think Al, with oil at $149 a barrel, thanks to George bush and his warmongering cronies, and rising, he has actually said something that makes sense for once. I notice he stopped short of recommending the nuclear option, so as not upset all his new green tree hugging hippy and celeb mates.

In other news, The Earth's temperature may stay roughly the same for a decade, as natural climate cycles enter a cooling phase, scientists have predicted.

A new computer model developed by German researchers, reported in the journal Nature, suggests the cooling will counter greenhouse warming.

However, temperatures will again be rising quickly by about 2020, they say. Other climate scientists have welcomed the research, saying it may help societies plan better for the future.

How funny is this, what they really mean is due to the fact the climate is no longer warming, and people are going to notice when most of the Earth doesn't disappear under water, and in a desperate attempt to secure our research money for the next decade, allowing us to plan better for our financial future. We have pulled a piece of "research " out of our asses that just may help us to keep milking man made global warming for a few years to come. Well done all of you.

I have my own piece of research for you. I am worried about mans increasing use of the acorn, and resulting shortage of the squirrels natural food supply. I predict that whilst we may see no change in squirrels for the next decade or so, by 2025 a race of giant man eating squirrels will have evolved, leading to a planet of the squirrels by 2056.

Save the acorn. Save the world!

The True Meaning of Easter

I should start this article by saying that I am in no way religious, or possess any sort of faith in non existent imaginary supreme beings or gods if you like, just as I don't believe in the Easter bunny, father Christmas, or the tooth fairy. I thought it was about time we examined in a clear headed, and logical way where some of the holidays we celebrate today originate.

Just like Christmas, Easter is a thoroughly pagan festival, and like many of the so called Christian holidays it has been placed over a traditional pagan observance By the original Christians, to force the poor happy pagans to toe the line and join in the mind control and social constrictions that is Christianity, which if you look at it is the worlds original nutty cult.

If this was done today there would be concerned parents rescuing their offspring from the Christians, rather like they rescue them today from the Moonies or other so called cults. But I digress.

Easter is originally the name of pagan vernal equinox festival Eastre. Eastre being the pagan dawn goddess known variously as Eostre, Ishtar, Semeramis, and Astarte.

So It is nothing more than the celebration of spring and rebirth. The ancient people realising that their lives were pretty much ruled by the sun, and needing some kind of indication when it was a good time to grow food, or when it was going to get colder, warmer, or the days were going to get shorter, or longer, developed a surprisingly accurate astronomical calendar.The Vernal Equinox being the date near March 21 in the northern hemisphere when night and day are nearly the same length, and the Sun crosses the celestial equator.

The trappings of the modern Easter, and its associated days are all pagan in origin. Lent is not found in the Bible as a Christian holiday. It is rather borrowed from the 40 days of mourning for Tammuz, the lover/ husband/son of Astarte. Pagan people used rabbits and "Easter" eggs as fertility symbols to celebrate the forces of spring, and that such forces were usually manifested in popular goddess images.

I think that in today's modern scientific age we should celebrate Easter for what it is, the end of the cold winter and the beginning of a new year of growth , we now know why the sun moves around the sky, and why the seasons change, so just as we don't need the mysticism of a pagan goddess, we certainly don't need any god or Jesus iconography.

It's time the world grew up and left all the childish worshiping of non existent supreme beings with the others we leave in childhood. It would be a lot happier and safer for it.

Childhood Obesity And TV Advertising

My rant today concerns the recent ban on Children's TV advertising of so called junk food in the UK.

The worst thing about it is it's yet another half hearted gesture to the pressure groups, who somehow think people have no free will.

Kids are getting fatter, who's to blame. Well they seem to think it's the TV advertisers and the evil junk food peddlers. Can you see a problem with that statement? cause I can. The reason kids are getting fatter is nothing to do with that at all, its the fault of the parents.

I have a 7 year old son, and he is perfectly healthy and normal, because I and his mother control what he eats, and we give him advice on what he should do to look after himself. That my friends is called parenting. He watches TV, Jetix, cartoon network, CBBC etc, and he sees the McDonalds ads, (yes they are still there , more on that later), but so what! he gets taken to McDonalds every few weeks for a treat, and that does him no harm whatsoever. They, like the vast majority of the chain fast food people,and most of the independents as well for that matter, produce a very good quality product, that tastes good, they wouldn't be in business for long if they didn't, just don't eat at them everyday, and you will be fine trust me.

Since when did we loose control of our kids , It's our responsibility to bring them up, not the governments. They will be exposed to lots of stuff that they should be protected from, but its our responsibility to protect and guide them not anyone else's, and if you're a parent, and you think its not, then you are not fit to be looking after anyone let alone a child. Now if you don't know already, and if you read this blog regularly enough, you will get to know my views on government, and its mis-guided and often cynical nanny state interference in our lives, and this TV ad ban is a great example.

From what I can tell this is what happened in this case. All the pressure groups say, TV advertising of Junk food is Bad stop it now ! Government says OK, Large corporations for example McDonalds, and the TV companies, say, but this will hurt our business. Government thinks yes and our Tax revenue too, and so gives the companies a back door to getting around the ban.

Yes within two weeks McDonalds were back, advertising as much if not more on TV, but with the added option of a fruit bag or carrot sticks that you can have in your happy meal. I don't have and can't get the sales figures, but my guess is, very few kids are choosing the fruit or carrot stick option on the happy meal, well it wouldn't make me happy would it you? I can tell you what my sons reaction to a carrot stick is in his happy meal, because I got him some as a joke, And it wasn't a happy one I can tell you.

So to sum up my rant today, Boo to the government for another half hearted crap nanny state intervention, and congratulations to Mc d's for getting around it, but people take responsibility for your own lives and lets all tell the meddling pressure group do-gooders of this world where they can stick their interference.

The above rant is my personal view and opinion, if you agree or it annoys you or if you have anything to say please leave a comment

Global Warming Is Bullsh*t

Wow that's a controversial title. Let me first tell you about myself, I am not a celebrity, I am not a politician, I am not an interested party in any way, but unlike 90% of the people telling you about man made global warming,I am a scientist, in fact I have a bachelor of science degree from a major university in the UK.

So here are the facts about climate change.

The climate is getting warmer, Yes it is but there is no human input into this change, ask yourself a question , just stop what you are doing and think for a moment, how does CO2 act in the environment. When you drive your car the CO2 your engine creates goes out through the exhaust pipe (at ground level), CO2 is not lighter than air, if it was when you blow up a balloon it would float like a helium filled balloon , Does it ? no it doesn't. The fact is the CO2 from your car floats around at ground level until it gets absorbed by plants, (that's what plants do!), they absorb CO2 use the carbon C to grow, they like you and me are carbon based organisms,and breathe out oxygen. That's what they have always done and always will do. More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere does what it always did it makes more plants. IT DOES NOT AND CAN NOT make the atmosphere warmer, that's what that big yellow thing in the sky does its the sun that makes things hotter.

We are all going to be flooded by the melting ice cap. No we are not going to be flooded, two points here, first there is the Medieval Warm Period, which was a time of warm weather around 800-1300 AD. It was warmer then than it is now and as far as I know no one drowned , there is a lot of nonsense talked about the melting ice caps, first of all a large percentage of the ice mass floats on the surface of the ocean, because uniquely water becomes less dense as it freezes. Do an experiment for me will you? fill a glass with water, and then put some ice into it, make sure the level is to the top of the glass. Now watch as the ice melts, does the water level rise, does the glass overflow, No? Well neither will the sea. Most observable sea level changes are caused by the land sinking and not the sea rising, the sea has stayed at the same level for millennia, and will for some considerable time yet.

Actually the earths climate varies in a cyclical nature. over time it has been colder than it is now, and it has been warmer than it is now, there has been much more CO2 in the atmosphere than there is now, and a lot less too.Truth is we are a largely insignificant little stain on a big planet, and no matter what we do we are highly unlikely to make the slightest dent in the ecosystem. If anything it is currently recovering from the mini ice age, which followed the Medieval Warm Period, but whatever it is doing our climate is driven by many factors over which we have no control mostly the sun.

If you ever meet a climatologist , and remember there aren't many of em, ask them how long there have even been scientists studying the climate, and if they are honest they will say not long, (it's actually less than 40 years) there have been people studying physics and chemistry and astronomy a lot longer than that, centuries in fact, and there is still allot we don't understand in all of those spheres, so anyone that says we understand climate and why it changes is talking bullsh*it, you should be able to smell it a mile off. One case in point remember the hole in the ozone layer and how we were all going to die, notice how that went quiet, well here's why, It started to get smaller, no and not because we stopped using aerosols because after it got smaller it started to get bigger again, and now yet again its getting smaller, This all went quiet because NASA admitted we have only been able to measure the hole in the ozone since the 60's, and they now believe it to be cyclical, sound familiar. Oh and one last point when they did make this announcement, I.E we have been scaring you shitless for 5 years but we were wrong don't panic, It was done in such a low key way that you would never have heard about it, if you had not read this.

Remember I have no axe to grind no research grant to preserve. I am just sick and tired of all the bullsh*t. The major report on climate change that was published recently was written largely by beaurocrats and politicians, and to a much lesser part scientists, but I have been involved in research and let me tell you if you have enough money you can get scientists to prove anything. In the 70's because it suited the political climate all the scientists were warning of another ice age. If me and you had enough money we could prove the same again (but we don't).
Allot of people are making allot of money out of human caused climate change, and it isn't you and me, we are the ones getting screwed with increased taxes higher fuel costs and other stealth environmental taxes which are being imposed on us. You are still going to get screwed, but just so long as you are aware why it is happening you will be a lot better off in my opinion. Oh and one last point if you can place a bet on man made climate change being disproved in the next 20 years do it, because let me tell you in about 5 or 10 years time there will be another wild theory which will completely supersede it. Yes were just about due another ice age and I bet its our fault.

The above rant is my personal view and opinion, if you agree or it annoys you or if you have anything to say please leave a comment

Oh Those Nutty Celebs and Their Amusing Ways.

Hi all, Well its the OSCARS tomorrow, and I thought it wasa great time to air one of my all time favourite rants, yep those nutty celebs. Hopefully there wont be too many ill informed speeches from know nothing well meaning dogooders, about things they don't understand, Al Gore and George Clooney on global warming spring to mind. Driving around in their Toyota Prius cars whose eventual scrapping,and disposal of the batteries in them, will cause more environmental harm than any CO2 they would have produced intheir lives if they had had normal petrol engines. still that's for another rant I am getting off the point.

No my rant today is on the growing number of celebs joining that nutty religious cult, the scientologists, you know who they are but in case you didn't, here is a list (source wikipedia list of scientologists).

Kirstie Alley, Anne Archer, Jennifer Aspen, Beck, Catherine Bell, Karen Black, Nancy Cartwright, Kate Ceberano, Erika Christensen, Tom Cruise, Jenna Elfman, Doug E. Fresh, Paul Haggis, Isaac Hayes, Katie Holmes, Tyler Hynes, Jason Lee, Geoffrey Lewis, Johnny Lewis, Juliette Lewis, Christopher Masterson, Danny Masterson, Jim Meskimen, Sofia Milos, Haywood Nelson, Corin Nemec, Marisol Nichols, Judy Norton, Michael Peña, David Pomeranz, Laura Prepon, Lisa Marie Presley, Priscilla Presley, Kelly Preston, Leah Remini, Patrick Renna, Ernie Reyes, Jr., Giovanni Ribisi, Marissa Ribisi, Ruddy Rodriguez, Michelle Stafford, Ethan Suplee, John Travolta,

I am sure there are some I have left out, if you know of any more leave a comment.The vaguely disturbing thing about this is, that so many of these people who are in the public eye actually have some influence over the masses, (ok masses who are lets say a few sticks short), but still seems a bit sleazy to me. Now I have to say at this point that I support everyone's free will to believe whatever they like, No matter how mad and misguided, but these people once you join them, suck your money out of your account like a demented vacuum cleaner, and give your brain a good washing into the bargain. They are using the celebs, who see a different side to it all having their own celebrity centres etc, into getting the ordinary plebs to join, who then loose all their money and sanity etc etc. They are mostly harmless to you and me but we should protect our fellow humans from this kind of crap don't you think.

I have to ask myself why are these people joining this weird organisation, an organisation that was started by a bad science fiction writer (L ron Hubbard), whose core belief is that we are inhabited by bits of aliens who were brought here in space worthy DC8 aircraft, and blown up by volcanoes, (I kid you not). I mean all religion even themain stream ones are pretty nutty, but this just takes the cake. On a side note if you want to know more about these wacky scientologists have a look at http://www.xenutv.com/

The best reason I can come up with is that being associated with this bunch gets them more work. For example tom cruise now is in charge of united artists and john travolta managed to get backing to make Battlefield Earth,a film widely thought to be the worst film ever released by a major Hollywood studio, the story for which was written byL ron Hubbard (bad sci fi I rest my case).

I just hope that there is a greed related explanation, or if they do genuinely believe the teachings of L Ron that they stop breeding.

The above rant is my personal view and opinion, if you agree or it annoys you or if you have anything to say please leave a comment.

America Do The World A Favour

Let me start by saying I am a British citizen, but my rant today concerns our friends from the ex colonies. That's right you lovely people separated from us by an ocean and a common language. Mr and Mrs American voter.

You have a chance this year to do something for yourselves, and the rest of the world, which will make this planet a better place for us all to be in. like it or not we are all effected by what happens in the USA, and this year being an election year more than most.

It's not often that I take an interest in politics, being a libertarian I think that the best thing that can happen to most politicians is to be placed somewhere where they can do no harm, bottom of an ocean, in a cave underground (without access to weapons), on an desert island somewhere, you get the idea. However I notice for the first time in as long as I can remember, there is a candidate in the running that could do some good rather than harm, and that is mr Barack Obama.

Thankfully the Bush era is coming to an end. We have suffered six years of state sponsored terrorism, manufactured threats, two ill conceived and un winnable wars, both in the pursuit of oil and power rather than any aim to remove threats, or a war on imaginary terror that has more to do with the US government than any Moslem orArab nation in my opinion.

Yep my rant today is an impassioned plea to all you lovely people in the USA. Please put an end to all this republican Christian fundamentalist self serving power grabbing, and give us at least a three year break from the threat of annihilation by our own governments, If he gets the democratic party nomination then please vote for Barack Obama.

Oh and if you want to get informed about what is happening in the world today, take a look at this video you can thank me later.

ZEITGEIST, The Movie - Official Release

The above rant is my personal veiw and opinion, if you agree or it annoys you or if you have anything to say please leave a comment.