January 21, 2016::End of the day round-up

Four big myths about “alternative” medicine

The crux of the matter is, people spend money on a non-existent product. It’s like buying a detergent that’s only crystals of salt; or buying a computer made of wood, and being told it will be functional. The King is simply Naked. What you’re buying isn’t there, which makes it -at the very least- a consumer advocacy concern. It’s conning people out of their money, and very few of them will actually get better because of the placebo effect. Most will simply lose their money and be exactly where they already were.

That adds false hope to the mix. Hope can be helpful, but also dangerous for a person’s well-being. Promising things you can’t deliver is like paying with a check that will bounce. Sure, it will make the person feel better when you give it to them, only to crush them later when they try to cash it.

Glyphosate, or Roundup, is a popular herbicide that's been used on lawns, gardens, schools, parks, farms, etc for nearly 50 years and is available at any Walmart or Home Depot as a weedkiller. But just how toxic is it?

You may be surprised to learn it has an LD50 of 5600 mg/kg, making it less toxic than table salt. Unfortunately, people sometimes listen to media scare tactics before ever taking a look at the actual toxicity, dosage, or chemistry behind these substances. Fear sells. Many "natural" chemicals are far more toxic...."natural" vs. synthetic tells us nothing in terms of toxicity.

,,,many products labeled "non-GMO" were never GMO to begin with,,,

Two days from the "5th Annual International Day of Protest Against Hereditary Religion" which is taking place on January 23, 2016. Here is part 3 of 4 from 2014 to tickle your appetite.

A Reason To Believe: A Documentary Film by Ben Fama Jr

A thought-provoking documentary film that examines the hard questions of the psychology of belief and why we believe.

Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years

They call it "Ball's Pyramid." It's what's left of an old volcano that emerged from the sea about 7 million years ago. A British naval officer named Ball was the first European to see it in 1788. It sits off Australia, in the South Pacific. It is extremely narrow, 1,844 feet high, and it sits alone.

What's more, for years this place had a secret. At 225 feet above sea level, hanging on the rock surface, there is a small, spindly little bush, and under that bush, a few years ago, two climbers, working in the dark, found something totally improbable hiding in the soil below. How it got there, we still don't know.

I know I have posted Lykova's story before, damned if I can find it,,,

Hermit Meets 21st Century After Being Flown To Siberian Hospital https://t.co/ETQunUNOnW - Not a story for "weird news" an amazing woman!

Ottawa says it won’t grant imprisoned Saudi blogger Canadian citizenship

The Trudeau government says it won’t grant imprisoned Saudi blogger Raif Badawi Canadian citizenship, arguing this would not help the case of a man sentenced to 1,000 lashes and 10 years in jail for blasphemy.

Mr. Badawi’s spouse and their three children were granted sanctuary in Canada last year and now live in Sherbrooke, Que. Ensaf Haidar, speaking to The Globe and Mail last week, said Canada must do more to help her husband and said “the first thing” it could do now is give Mr. Badawi a Canadian passport.

She argued Canadian citizenship would give Ottawa more standing to push for his release.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion disagrees. Speaking after a cabinet retreat in southwestern New Brunswick Tuesday, he said he doesn’t believe Canadian citizenship would improve Mr. Badawi’s situation.
,,,
Granting Ms. Haidar’s request could complicate Canada’s relations with Saudi Arabia and jeopardize a $15-billion deal to sell weaponized armoured vehicles to Riyadh over 14 years.