Pig Flu Vaccine Causing Narcolepsy?

News from across the pond:

The Republic's Heath Service Executive (HSE) will remove all stocks of the swine flu vaccine Pandemrix from GPs' surgeries after it was linked to the disabling sleep disorder, narcolepsy.

Last week, the Sunday Independent revealed eight people who received the swine flu vaccine in Ireland have developed the devastating disorder, with most of the cases involving teenagers and young adults.

Last week, a new Swedish study found an increased risk of developing narcolepsy among children vaccinated with Pandemrix.

Sweden's Medical Products Agency concluded that those under 20 vaccinated with Pandemrix may be four times as likely to develop narcolepsy than those who did not get the shot.

The Swedish findings by the Lakemedelsverket agency broadly reflect a recent study in Finland, though that investigation found that the risk of children suffering from narcolepsy was nine times higher among those vaccinated with Pandemrix.

Since August 2010, at least 12 countries have reported cases of narcolepsy, particularly among young people.

In additional information supplied to family doctors, the HSE describes narcolepsy as "a disabling chronic neurological disorder characterised by recurrent episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness."

However, it also noted that narcolepsy is often accompanied by a range of other frightening symptoms including cataplexy -- a sudden loss of muscle tone that is often confused with epilepsy and sometimes leads to a total collapse of the patient.

Other symptoms that can develop gradually include sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations -- extremely vivid hallucinations that occur at the boundary between sleeping and waking.

And fear not....as soon as the pig flu has ceased to alarm the masses they'll be hyping another faux pandemic.

Oh look, here it is - the H2N2 virus!!!

Most surprisingly this new one is (also) being pumped and primed by *vaccine researchers*.

And (again!) it will be lapped up by the totalitarian *planners* in power.

See also - Swing Flu Vaccine Killing Fetuses?

Maggot Food

A sticky chair?

The unnamed 43-year-old man's roommates called police who found him unconscious.

He was taken to Wheeling Hospital in nearby West Virginia, where he later died.

A hospital spokesman would not comment on the man's death.

The man lived with two able-bodied roommates -- including his girlfriend, who officials said fed him since he never got up -- in a home in Bellaire, Ohio.

The roommates called police upon finding the man unresponsive on Sunday.

Officers who responded to the scene said that the man's skin was fused to the fabric of chair and that he was sitting in his own feces and urine with maggots visible, WTRF-TV reported earlier.

One officer said it was the worst thing he had ever responded to. Another told the local TV station he had to throw away his uniform after helping remove the man from the chair.

I know a medical professional/quack/swine flu enthusiast who told me he once had to examine a morbidly obese woman in the ER.

He said that buried in the folds of her arm were Oreos.

She giggled, "Me and my boyfriend like to play games hiding food..."

Peace - A Disguise!

My sardonic title refers to the assailant's sweatshirt.

Of course who knows what really happened here. The one getting pummeled could well have been the antagonist? It could have been over a stolen Twinkie? Etc.

I've only been doing the homeschool co-ops for two years now but I'm still yet to witness any kids even call each other names no less come to blows like that. Must be part of the *socialization* process I guess...

UPDATE - Shoot it looks like YouTube pulled it pretty fast. I'll keep my eyes out for it on Break.com or somewhere else. This is why you HAVE to read my blog the instant I publish posts!

Tiger Woods - A Tim Ferriss Retort?

Story:

For the first time, Woods and trainer Keith Kleven offer detail and insight into a fitness regimen that has enabled the world's No. 1 player to add nearly 30 pounds of muscle since he left Stanford in 1996 after his sophomore year.

"Pound for pound, I put him with any athlete in the world," Kleven told the magazine.

The routine is built around stretching up to 40 minutes before each session, core exercises, endurance runs of 7 miles and speed runs of 3 miles, along with weight training. But while Woods is competitive on the golf course, he said he doesn't have an ego in the weight room.

"I've never, ever hurt myself lifting," Woods said. "I hear people say, 'I hurt this' or 'I hurt that.' I don't even know what that feels like. I've been sore, but I've always been able to function and do whatever I wanted to. ... Some people let their ego get in the way. You have to listen to your inner self. Your body knows when it can be pushed and when you just need to back off a little bit."

Woods opts for high repetitions and smaller weights, although Kleven said he is "off the charts" with how much he can lift.

Did you catch that? High reps and low weights...

Tim Ferriss preaches the opposite - higher weights with lower, intense rep counts.

I understand that so-called experts will say that Tiger is looking to build muscle and stamina whereas Ferriss is intent on increasing pure strength.

But I'm inclined to think one of them is wrong working out sub-optimally. And I'm guessing it's Tiger. Three hours lifting weights in the gym at a time? Ferriss only works 4 hours per week!

Of course it's easy to take shots at Tiger now with him in such a prolonged slump. For all the stretching, core work, and Pilates he does his swing certainly looks too stiff, too mechanical, almost like he lifted too many weights!

His hands are way too close to his body...

From his website, and I think I may have linked to this before, here's Tiger's insane, anti-Ferriss daily regimen:

6:30 a.m. - One hour of cardio. Choice between endurance runs, sprints or biking.

7:30 a.m. - One hour of lower weight training. 60-70 percent of normal lifting weight, high reps and multiple sets.

8:30 a.m. - High protein/low-fat breakfast. Typically includes egg-white omelet with vegetables.

9:00 a.m. - Two hours on the golf course. Hit on the range and work on swing.

11:00 a.m. - Practice putting for 30 minutes to an hour.

Noon - Play nine holes.

1:30 p.m. - High protein/low-fat lunch. Typically includes grilled chicken or fish, salad and vegetables.

2:00 p.m. - Three-to-four hours on the golf course. Work on swing, short game and occasionally play another nine holes.

6:30 p.m. - 30 minutes of upper weight training. High reps.

7:00 p.m. - Dinner and rest.

So with such a rigorous schedule, how exactly did he find time to destroy his marriage?

Must have been it at *Noon*...

Big Government = Force

This little recorded act of Big Government fascism is making the rounds:

I must say that if this were my house I too would probably *overreact*.

And I was surprised to see most of the highest rated comments from the news story were against the family.

I guess they'd rather the kids were inside watching color TV, playing video games, or something else sedentary???

Note that if that woman worked for a corporation in any industry other than Big Media(!) and got caught lying like that on a YouTube-disseminated video she would be summarily fired.

Our DMV, A Well-Oiled Machine?

That is a rip on Spain's government.

I think it's only really funny for those who've experienced the notoriously anti-business Euro-bureaucracy.

Terrific Marketing Imagery!

Say what?

Magic is *comfortable in his own skin*???

Well we already knew that he wasn't comfortable in latex or organic sheepskin!!!

Another Homeschool Success Story

A 17 year old kid from California just won $100,000 from Intel for his research project.

Evan O'Dorney also won the National Spelling Bee in 2007.

AND last year he came in second place in the International Math Olympiad!

Of course Evan has been educated *outside the system*...

$50 Paranoia Exploitation

Is it wrong that I find this ripoff product hilarious?

I mean take a good look at the images, marketing, and copywriting....it's freakin' funny!

Blogger - Sexier Extreme Makeover

Shoot....check out these new *views* (of my blog) that Blogger just came out with:

Flipcard

Snapshot

Mosaic

Sidebar

Timeslide

I'm not sure what to do with them at the moment. Do I now have to alter the format of my output? Or are these just trendy preferences for tablet iMorons that I don't comprehend?

Anyways thanks to Paul Mitchell, my eyes and ears (and occasional brain!), for alerting me to this development.

And sorry for the pic of Arm Pitt. But that's what's comes up first when you search for *sexier*.

Another Web Breakout?

Some *mom* who (I think) was a just a regular yet prolific blogger just published a book - One Thousand Gifts - two months ago. Her subject appears to be *everyday Christian gratitude*. The book trailer:

Now I've only read a little of her work - nothing that I can remember off-hand but it must have been well-done because I subscribed to her blog a little while ago. Heck she has 27,000 readers!

Her book is just out and already has a Tim Ferriss-esque 282 reviews and sports a 5-star rating on Amazon. (Although there is one little controversy.)

You have to root for and admire just about anyone who breaks out from obscurity through the dint of their own hard work, no?

Obamacare Spoof

I thought I was watching a Viagra commercial there.

But the worst is these 'old coots' on Medicare ripping Obamacare while the two are essentially one and the same!

Artful Video

Hunting Enemy Beasts

So the weenies are trying to rip GoDaddy CEO Bob Parson because he shot an elephant in Africa.

You watch the video and tell me if he's a mean as the New York Times would have you believe:

It was just a hunch but I Googled Mr. Parson's *politics* and instantly learned that they were antipodal to the NYT crowd. Go figure.

Readers?

Do any of you clowns utilize Google Reader?

I only publish *partial* RSS feeds from my blog - forcing would-be readers to come to my site to see the pics, read the full post, and whatnot.

I'm just wondering if it irritates any of you. If there's a loud enough cry I'll start publishing full feeds.

Let me know. Thanks.

If I Only...

Hah! He's going to be going to work everyday now as a *civil servant* even more miserable than before.

But hey we all have those *hindsight downers*.

I sold 4,000 ounces of gold, gold that I vowed to hold forever, somewhere around $270 an ounce in the late 90s.

That'd be $4,000,000 today.

It almost goes without saying that as a trader for 16 years, I have plenty of *could-have* stomach-turning memories. But at least the sheer volume of them has numbed the pain. Plus I have too much other non-monetary stuff to be grateful for to even think about self-flagellation.

See also - Cheapness And Its Ramifications.

Revisit Boston Market

Shoot....after karate yesterday I took the kids out to lunch at Boston Market.

And I was shocked at what we experienced.

For $17.30 the three of us ate *the best meal ever* - according to my 50% Italian son. (Those people are prone to hyperbole.)

And it was good. Not only did they bring the food to our table, but I was also given the privilege of actual silverware and a washable plate. A sign on the table asked us not to clean up either - no doubt to avoid trashed silverware, etc.

I can't well remember the last time I ate there (10 years?) but I'm sure I didn't walk out so all-around satisfied.

It is amazing/pathetic the things that excite you as an aging family man!

Cheapness - An 'Old Coot' Disease

Somebody was recently lamenting to me the plight of their poor father.

The guy is in his 80s and dying of cancer.

Despite having over $1 million in the bank the guy carries on like a complete destitute bum.

In fact he dresses so poorly that out in public one day someone charitably GAVE HIM $5.

And guess what....HE TOOK IT!

Also, again despite being on his deathbed and having means, the crazy 'old coot' won't pay for home internet access because of a silly price dispute with the cable company. Instead he trucks everyday over to the library to check his email (AOL?).

The purpose of money in life is, well,....life! Tragically some of these misers never figured that out.

Math Rider Review

Check out my 4.80 year old daughter doing some multiplication practice on the computer:

Pretty impressive, right? Even I was surprised at her progress.

With my firstborn, the Prince, I basically took a workbook approach to math.

Despite eye-popping success (from counting to algebra in 1.5 years, by age 5.125!) I decided to experiment with his younger sister.

We did the introductory Kumon Math workbooks just as I did with the Prince, but then I decided to start making my own worksheets for the Princess.

And I also deliberately tried to incorporate more computer-based learning - but for the most part in the form of those numerous free websites.

That program above is called Math Rider and as you can see it rapid-fires math questions at the student.

It covers basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division with three levels apiece (Easy, Medium, and Advanced).

Merely one week ago it took my daughter well over an hour, and many tears, to complete the medium multiplication level. But within a few days she started whizzing through it as you can see demonstrated above. That particular multiplication quest probably only takes her twenty-something minutes now. Tears have morphed into triumphant boasts! I'll let her bask in her glory for a couple of days....then I'll boot her up to the always-imposing next level.

Problems come in batches of 30. Each round is scored and added to a *quest total*. The better the scoring, the faster the quest can be completed. What you saw my daughter do was complete the final ride. I think it took her 8-10 rides, or 240-300 total questions to hurdle.

Again, it covers all the basic operations. She's also conquered the medium level on addition and we are working on subtraction at the moment - counting backwards is always harder for young'uns. Division shouldn't be started until multiplication is down cold, of course. I expect that within 1-2 months - if not sooner - she'll have mastered all the vitally important *math facts*.

What I personally like about Math Rider is that it's a time-intensive exercise. A kid might sit there all day long with a worksheet - alternating between daydreaming, nasal mining, computation, etc. - in a homeschool environment. So Math Rider effectively recreates the pressure and focus inherent in classroom quizzes and tests.

Of course, what I also like about this program is that it liberates me from the tedium of teaching, "If 7+7 is 14, then 7+8 is what?" for the one billionth time! All you parents afraid of *teaching* your kids the love/hate subject of math take special note.

Math Rider is $37 right now. If you have multiple kids...it's a no-brainer. And regardless you can try it out at home with a full money-back guarantee for 30 days. Use any of my links on this post (the Prince will appreciate the commission!), you can download the software immediately and set your child up first thing tomorrow morning. You watch, they might very well love it. After all it's a freakin' video game!

See also - Off-The-Chart Homeschooling.

Big Government = Big Business

Mike Shedlock highlighted a most trenchant comment on his blog today:

Hello Mish

I find it interesting that people who hate big corporations embrace the ever-growing nanny state. The reality is the nanny state is nothing but a gigantic corporation that hires those who would not be hired in the private workforce at prices far more than they are worth.

In many respects, government is no different than big business. Governments, like business want to grow. Bureaucrats always want more employees and bigger budgets.

The difference is the nanny state is run by politics not by profit. It is run for a political agenda.

If you want a perfect example of a corporation too big to succeed, it's the government.

Take a look at those protesting in Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio and elsewhere.

Who is protesting government cuts? Why it's government employees. They protest for their benefit, not the benefit of the public at large and they want government to use even more force to take what it needs.

What does it take to stop the madness?

Super Pooper?

A relatively new friend of mine revealed to me the other day that he defecates *6-7 times per day*.

SAY WHAT???!!!

There just HAS TO BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIM, no?

After composing myself from the mind-blow....I suggested *butt kegels or something*.

SuperPooper - No. I don't have that problem. It's not like it just runs down my leg. I can control it at will. I just have a fast metabolism.

Anyone else ever hear of (or experience!) such a frequency?

See also - One More Crudity From NH.

Big Government - Too Ridiculous To Keep Up With!

Check out John Stossel's blog post.

And he has another stomach-turner on Native Americans.

Of course the one party that most people think might have fought this junk HASN'T or HASN'T SUCCEEDED anyway....too worried about being called *racist*, too incompetent to get the job done.

Our Hardworking Pols!

This is apparently a recent pic from the Connecticut State Assembly.

Two pols are playing solitaire or something. Another is on espn.com checking baseball scores. And one in front of them is - though it's hard to see - on Facebook!

Even More Tim Ferriss!

The best selling author of The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body was profiled the other day in the *fashion & style* section of The New York Times.

Check it out. It was well-written and surprisingly informative.

See also:

Book Summary - 4-Hour Body

Book Review - The 4-Hour Workweek

Socialized School Kids...

Oh, the irony of a *graduation* fight!

Optimistic Morons

Hah!

I like how the guy in the article states, "...the cancellation reflects the current economy -- even though things are getting better, companies are still cautious about hiring full-time workers."

Do y'all remember the expression *jobless recovery*?

Throughout the earlier part of the previous decade, when the other party controlled Washington and when employment was SUBSTANTIALLY HIGHER,....that was all we heard about - how we came out of the recession *with no jobs*. It was Big Media agitprop aimed at their political enemies.

But nowadays all I hear from the same, now regnant crowd is how *things are getting better*.

That's total bull$hit. Taxes, tuitions, healthcare premiums, food prices, energy prices, etc. are ALL HIGHER. Meanwhile unemployment and underemployment are at the worst levels in decades. Debt is at nosebleed levels and mortgages are all underwater.

The only things that are better are the mercurial stock and bond markets. While I understand if one is in the *skim biz*/Wall Street they are in fact doing terrific, but most of these buffoons waxing optimistic are not in that category. They run job fairs that have to be cancelled; they sell homes (one a year!); and they write for imploding Big Media organs.

Here's some nostalgia from March 2004 - Bush Jobless Recovery Hits Middle Class:

In his new campaign ads, President Bush speaks warmly of a nation on the rebound, with a growing economy that's producing jobs. But the America that Bush sees is not the reality for millions of workers, especially in the middle class.

The federal government's latest employment numbers are, again, dismal. The U.S. added only 21,000 jobs in February, less than one-tenth the monthly increase the country needs to stay even. Unemployment held at 5.6% - but only because almost 400,000 people fell out of the statistics when they stopped looking for work.

Against that bleak backdrop, Bush began his campaign against Democrat John Kerry with commercials touting his leadership through hard times - 9/11, a sinking stock market, a recession. Suggesting that better days are just ahead, he puts a decidedly optimistic gloss on the pocketbook trouble of average Americans.

Hah!

They were bemoaning 5.6% unemployment!!!

And before that, in May 2003, they were bemoaning 6% unemployment:

Cute Little Fish

14 feet long?

See also - Swimming With Sharks.

Thou Shall Be Holier!

You have to feel bad for Susan Wise Bauer, author of the terrific classical homeschool guide - The Well-Trained Mind.

Recently she's been besieged by some members of the Christian community for being *secular* - or at least she feels she's been besieged.

Susan, a minister's wife(!), has decided to defend herself through a couple of blog posts. After all a homeschooling book that's reviled by the largest (50-70%?) sector of its target market is going to suffer big time.

The thing is, Susan not only declares herself a devout Christian, but she also fought against her *secular* publisher to include a good deal of Christianity in her popular - Story of the World series for young'uns.

My son has actually listened to a little bit of that (audiobook); it was tough to get your hands on it at the library!. Ironically the only complaint I ever heard about The Story of the World was from a libertarian atheist who thought it *too religious*. This homeschooling *mom* told me she had to pre-screen each audio track and skip all references to *God*, etc. - because, obviously, her 5 year old daughter would be irretrievably harmed from listening!

Whatever.

I want to link to Susan's lengthy self-defense which is actually a re-print of hers from several years ago - obviously she's suffered this criticism continually:

A Golden Oldie

Apparently some speakers at a recent homeschooling conference, one in which she was also speaking, were bad-mouthing her.

I do feel bad for Bauer (no relation to 'Jack'). But hey, if you want to traffic in an inherently sensitive/political subject like *history* and market your take to the public....then controversy sort of goes with the territory!

Click here - to read her other blog post defense.

Coincidentally, I just borrowed the WTM tome from the library yesterday, for yet another reading.

See also my wonderful post from last year - Book Summary - The Well-Trained Mind.

Bored? Over-Medicated?

Can you read that sign?

It says - "This Vehicle Has Been Checked For Sleeping Children" - and they are now displayed on the back of all the school jail buses in my area.

Of course I burst out laughing the first time I pulled up behind a bus and saw the sign.

And I was thinking that they really ought to *check the classrooms* for snoozers!

California - Occasionally 100% Right

I CAN'T STAND LEAF BLOWERS.

They've been torturing me ever since I moved out of cities some 6 years ago.

Outside of the winter, all day long I suffer rickety gas-powered blowers around my house.

What kills me is that they are wielded by illegal immigrants AND that they aren't necessary at all.

It's not one guy either, when the landscaping gang of 'cans hits each house invariably 3-5 of them whip out the blowers in unison and sweep the entire property. Again, it's NOT NECESSARY.  Furthermore the ones around here also utilize a huge gas blower on wheels that's even louder.

I even proposed to some local official a new ordinance saying they couldn't blow each property every week - just cutting them down to *ever other week* would reduce the noise by a significant 50%.

Make the law so only homeowners themselves can use gas-powered blowers. Make the law so that landscapers can only use the quieter electric ones. Whatever....do ANYTHING to cut the noise down.

Everyone thought California was crazy when they cracked down on public smoking. But guess what, who among y'all wants to return to smoky restaurants and airlines?

The blind squirrel State has found another rare nut.