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High Street retailers have rejected security fears about giving them the job of fingerprinting and photographing people applying for identity cards.Ah yes, good decision. Because the best way of establishing a robust infrastructure of national security to protect us from terrorism and organised crime and other constantly changing reasons why we supposedly need this, based on the latest and strongest biometric technologies, is to get Boots and Snappy Snaps to capture the biometric data central to the system's integrity. That's certainly how I'd do it. Because Snappy Snaps is the lynchpin of any well-built security system.
The Home Office has axed plans to set up ID card enrolment centres and instead wants pharmacies, post offices and photographic shops to do the work.
Trade bodies representing chains such as Boots and Snappy Snaps told the BBC they can be trusted with the data.
"I couldn't leave [the patient] at such a delicate moment," Mr Vitale was quoted by La Repubblica newspaper as saying.Bravo, sir.
"I'm not a hero, I only did my duty," he said.
Saudi police say they are investigating a hoax that has seen people rushing to buy old-fashioned sewing machines for up to $50,000 ... In Dhulum, it was reported that people had broken into two tailors' shops to steal the machines.Very odd. Mind you, people going mad for "red mercury" in old sewing machines isn't as silly as the British law enforcement establishment putting people on trial for trying to buy the stuff, leading to the top comedy quote from the prosecutor that ""The Crown's position is that whether red mercury does or does not exist is irrelevant." ... sigh.
Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture & Duchy Herbals Hyperi-Lift Tincture, consumer advertising - January 2009In short: whether they work or not hasn't been assessed at all. That someone writing on Duchy's website would have claimed that they had been is disturbing. When the Traditional Herbal Registration Scheme was introduced, there was cricitism of it on the grounds that consumers would take a registration on grounds of "traditional use" for an illness as an endorsement of a product's effectiveness against that illness. If someone working for a company which has been through the registration process can make that mistake, surely regular consumers are more likely to fall into the same trap.
A member of the public complained to the MHRA about the advertising of Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture and Duchy Herbals Hyperi-Lift Tincture which appeared on the Duchy Originals website from 24 January 2009. The complainant alleged that the advertising suggested that the products had been assessed for efficacy and was therefore misleading.
The MHRA upheld the complaint. Nelsons, the registration holder, on behalf of Duchy Originals agreed that they would amend their advertising and remove claims of efficacy from their website and all future advertising. Following delays in implementing the changes, Nelsons provided additional training to Duchy Originals staff on the legislative requirements.
MHRA advice
These two products have been registered under the Traditional Herbal Medicines Registration Scheme as required by Directive 2004/24/EC on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products. The MHRA, as UK regulator, is required to assess applications for traditional herbal medicinal products for safety, quality and evidence of traditional use. Efficacy of the product based on scientific data is not assessed, although the MHRA is required to refuse registration if efficacy on the basis of long established traditional use is not plausible.
Professor Ernst of Peninsula Medical School said Prince Charles and his advisers appeared to be deliberately ignoring science, preferring "to rely on 'make-believe' and superstition".That's got to hurt.
Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture and Duchy Herbals Hyperi-lift Tincture are the first UK produced herbal tinctures to be approved under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive laid out by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) ... The directive means that the two tinctures have been assessed - in terms of their safety, quality and efficacy - by the UK regulatory authorities.(My emphasis). This surprised me because under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, as the MHRA describes it, there is no assessment whatsoever of whether a licensed product is effective:
Under the Directive, a company needs to demonstrate the safety of the herbal medicine by providing bibliographic evidence of a minimum of 30 years of traditional use for the product. At least 15 of the 30 years must have been within the EU. This replaces the requirement to demonstrate efficacy and serves as the basis for permitting minor therapeutic claims(My emphasis). I've written to Duchy Originals and the MHRA asking what assessment of efficacy was conducted, but while they're getting back to me the excellent David Colquhoun tracked down the PDFs of the MHRA's approvals of the St John's Wort and Echinacea tinctures which Duchy Originals are selling. Here's what the MHRA says about the efficacy of Duchy's St John's Wort elixir:
This registration is based exclusively upon evidence of traditional use of Hypericum perforatum L. as a herbal medicine and not upon data generated from clinical trials. There is no requirement under the Traditional Herbal Registration scheme to prove scientifically that the product works.That's perfectly clear - the St John's Wort tincture was licensed entirely because people have used it for a long time, rather than there being any evidence that it works. Let's see if the MHRA says anything different in its approval of the Echinacea tincture:
Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture is used to relieve the symptoms of the common cold and influenza type infections, based on traditional use only. This medicine is an oral liquid containing the active ingredient dried Echinacea purpurea L. Moench root tincture.So, the same thing. A clear statement that the UK regulator specifically didn't consider these products' efficacy. I think I might have to write personally to Prince Charles to ask him why his company is saying the regulator has assessed these medicines' efficacy, when the regulator clearly says they've done no such thing.
This registration is based exclusively upon evidence of traditional use of Echinacea purpurea as a herbal medicine and not upon data generated from clinical trials. There is no requirement under the Traditional Herbal Registration scheme to prove scientifically that the product works.
Precautions: Do not take if you are under 18 years of age, you are pregnant or breast feeding, you are allergic to any of the ingredients, your skin is very sensitive to light (photosensitive) or you have been diagnosed with depression.This warns people about one side effect - photosensitivity - but makes no mention of the fact that St John's Wort can interfere with how a wide variety of medications - including contraceptive pills and anti-clotting drugs - operate, making them less effective. Surely it might be wise to include something along the lines of "Do not take if you are on any medication, including contraceptives, without first consulting your doctor". I've pointed this out to Duchy Originals. We'll see if they do anything about it.
"These witchdoctors are big liars," he said at a rally in the northern Shinyanga region.* And before you snigger at the idea of licensing witchdoctors, remember that we're doing exactly the same thing in Britian with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council - rather splendidly dubbed "Ofquack".
Scientists have started understanding the presence of advanced life forms in the form different phases of ice in Mars and other planets. [...] According to some scientists ice life forms have complex helical ICE DNAs and RNAs just like conventional life forms. As a matter of fact, some scientists now are keen to believe that the single cell organisms actually evolved from Ice life forms in the asteroids. [...]If 'Ice Creatures from the Asteroids' wasn't the title of a 1960s B-movie it certainly should have been.
Many scientists believe type zero life forms (like us) actually evolved from ice life forms that are abundant in many planets and asteroids.Note this is "according to some scientists" and "many scientists believe" but the article doesn't name a single one.
More people need to donate their brains to medical research if cures for diseases like dementia are to be found, UK scientists say. ... Professor James Ironside, of the Human Tissue Authority, which regulates the donation process, said as well as a shortage of diseased brains to study, there was a bigger problem of getting hold of healthy donor brains for comparison.I am definitely signing up for up this, and encourage others to do so. I'm already an organ donor, and it would be great if someone can find a use for those parts that can't be used as spares. Besides, in a strange way I quite like the idea of spending some time as a brain in a jar.
What is "Big Astronomy"'s motive in falsifying data about black holes? Their existence has little, if anything, to do with the theory of the Big Bang and presents no problem for Creationism.A reasonable question. This is where it gets funny, as none other than Conservapedia founder Andrew Schlafly answers with possibly the single silliest allegation of conspiracy I've ever seen:
Outrageous claims about black holes sell lots of magazines to lots of naive people. And let's not forget that liberals get a thrill out of deceit for its own sake alone.I'll let that sink in. Astronomers are pretending black holes exist in order to boost the sales of astronomy magazines. Never mind that most astronomers have never sold a magazine in their lives. Never mind that astronomy is probably more open, more verifiable and less vulnerable to fraud than any other endeavour; because anyone can point a telescope anywhere in the sky it's sort of difficult to lie about what you've seen up there. Never mind that all the world's physicists and mathematicians would have to be complicit in the Great Black Hole Pretence. Astronomers have invented black holes as a marketing ploy for magazine publishers: so says the founder of "the reliable encyclopedia".
LAHORE: Two women were killed while one sustained burn injuries after being thrown into a fire by an exorcist on the pretext of exorcising demons in Mirpur Khas, a private TV channel reported on Friday ... Police said the three women had been taken to an amil (exorcist) by their in-laws to get evil spirits possessing them expelled, the channel said. One woman was injured. According to the channel, police had requested the magistrate to order exhumation of the women’s bodies. The exorcist had not been arrested so far.[Despairing sigh]
It goes without saying that nothing contained on this website or in any SHAC publication is intended to encourage or incite illegal acts. ... SHAC does not encourage or incite any illegal activities.
SHAC does not encourage or incite repetitive, threatening or abusive communications with these companies.
Every culture throughout the world has a historical understanding of the reality of this energy and it is known by many names, e.g Prana, Chi, Qui, Life Force, Orgone......or, to be strictly accurate, "made-up crap". And you can buy some truly astounding tat to repair your aura. Oh yes. For the low low price of £50 you can be owner of a ghastly "7 Sided Power Pyramid" - a moulded lump of resin decorated by a staunch believer in the "Lots Of Glitter!" school of design. Those with £250 to spare can buy a "Power Wand" ("A very powerful psionic tool for healing or personal protection... It has been demonstrated that this device employs no black magic techniques."), or a wide range of astoundingly tacky pedants can be yours.
This is the absolute, unquestionable proof of extraterrestrial life in the most astounding detail which you can download directly from official sites and verify for yourselves. ... Massive thriving colonies, city structures, water sources and hundreds of crafts within our own solar system which our government has been covertly observing by satellites for nearly 4 decades.What they've actually got irrefutable proof of is the fact that if you take a digital picture, greatly enlarge it and then tinker with the brightness and contrast, you will see all kinds of blocky rubbish which isn't really there in the original. This is true of any digital picture, in exactly the same way that a film photograph would always look grainy if blown up too far. For example, here's a picture of one of my cats, who I assure you is devoid of any extraterrestrial constructions. On the right is the picture at full resolution, cropped to show only the face.
I've not listened to anything by Rush for years but liked them when I was at university. So imagine my surprise and concern to learn that as well as being progressive rock maestroes they're central to sinister mind control operations targetting "celestial being, psychic, healer" all-round eccentric lady Solaris Blue Raven.
The information Solaris is going to give you here is extremely important to understand. ... In the following video and audio interviews, Solaris describes in detail how she was the victim of black ops and mind control projects, directly operated by the rock group Rush.Okaaaay...
Sounds incredible? Not after you have heard her testimony. This very intelligent lady has decoded these programs and presents the results in a brand new book, "Eye of the Remote, Black Operations in Areas Beyond 52".I predict a certain lack of lucidity.
Publishing this material is probably the most dangerous thing I have ever done.Life on the edge, man... life on the edge.
The audience is said to have applauded what they thought was a stunning special effect, and only realised something was wrong when the actor staggered off stage to receive treatment.He's okay again now, and I'm sure it's the sort of thing he'll look back on in years to come and have a good laugh about.
A San Francisco woman who advertised herself as a psychic has been sentenced to two months in jail for bilking a love-sick customer out of $108,000 and talking her into buying her a sports car in exchange for purifying her of evil spirits, Santa Clara County authorities said Tuesday. [...] Miller convinced the woman that she was cursed and needed "spiritual cleansing," authorities said. The woman gave Miller $108,000 from her checking, savings and retirement accounts as well as cash, jewelry and gift cards. ...A fraudulent psychic? I'm shocked! Sounds like it was a family business:
The woman finally figured out something was wrong when she read media accounts that Miller's mother-in-law, 56-year-old Lola Miller of San Jose, had been arrested for taking $450,000 in cash and services from a San Jose woman. Lola Miller, who went by the name "Miss Donna," read the victim's fortune, told her that she and family members were cursed and that she would cleanse them of evil for money. She also threatened the victim.Classy.
Blaine Milam and Jessica Carson, 18, were arrested Tuesday on capital murder charges in the beating death of Carson’s 13-month-old daughter during what evidently was an exorcism.Words fail.
Investigators think the couple used a hammer to "beat the demons out" of the toddler.
Authorities said Amora Bain Carson, was also bitten more than 20 times.
But even though the risk of long-term complications [from Measles] is low, parents in Britain shouldn’t have to gamble with their children’s health. The vast majority of us only do so because we aren’t offered single vaccinations which - rightly or wrongly - we believe are less risky than injecting three live viruses at once into a small child’s immature immune system.Single vaccines require more trips to the doctor and take more time to to be completed than the 3-in-one MMR, so making leaving the child more vulnerable to infection. There is no - I repeat - no actual evidence that the MMR vaccine is responsible for autism, bowel disease or anything apart from preventing measles, mumps and rubella. What's more, there is good evidence that it's both effective and safe. Jardine's complaint above makes exactly as much sense as someone saying, after deciding not to strap their children into car seats because of an unfounded rumour that seatbelts cause cancer...
...although the risk of actually suffering injury from a car accident is low, parents in Britain shouldn’t have to gamble with their children’s health. We only do so because we aren't instead allowed to swaddle our children in bubblewrap which - rightly or wrongly - we believe is less risky than using a seatbelt.
I am a little confused. When I was a kid, getting measles, chicken pox, etc was part of growing up. You got it, your parents cared for you for a week or so, you went back to school. No panic, no mass vaccinations. Is it that we are breeding weaklings now?No, it's not that we're breeding weaklings - it's that we're making great global progress against a highly infectious and often fatal or disabling disease, so having it flare up again in a country from which it had been eradicated is deeply depressing.
You got it, your parents cared for you for a week or so, and if you didn't die of it you went back to school.It's easy to forget that bit. Please don't.
A strange incident took place in October 1994 on John D. Long Lake in South Carolina. A young woman named as Susan Smith was convicted of murdering her two little sons. Susan left the boys, 3-year-old Michael and 14-months-old Alexander in her car and let it roll into the lake drowning the boys.Waaaah, it's killer aliens! Or someone not applying the handbrake. You decide which is more likely. Oh, and...
...Several dozens of cars drowned in Lake Whitney in Texas. All of the cars with passengers inside rolled into the lake from piers. Divers found some of the cars of the bottom of the lake, although they never found any human remains.Notice how the writer makes it easy for people to find out whether this is true or just some kind of urban legend by not mentioning any sources for this, and not even telling us what decade it happened in. But even if it's true that some kind of freakish mass car-drowning happened at a lake in Texas, how does that imply that extraterrestrials were involved? If Pravda is to be believed - and that's a decision everyone has to make for themselves - these aliens are really up to no good. Not only are they hiding in our lakes, but they're also greatly interested in human sperm and ovules. Waaaah!
Local police officers say that many of those cars could not roll into the water because they were on a parking brake.
...The navy said the pirates on board were armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers.Well, quite.
When it demanded the vessel stop for investigation, the pirate ship responded by threatening to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her", the statement said.
Pirates then fired on the Tabar, and the Indians say they retaliated and that there was an explosion on the pirate vessel, which sank.
A month ago MEPs in the European Parliament adopted, with a huge majority, a proposal to downgrade piracy (report, November 18) from an act of war to a simple criminal act...which clearly hasn't prevented the Royal Navy from shooting people where necessary, or from sending prisoners to trial. And in the scuffle described above the Indian Navy, unrestrained by any EU decision, gave chase when the pirates fled their sinking ship but didn't "blow them out of the water". Derek Clark MEP continues:
Once implemented it means that a naval vessel will not be allowed to blow pirates out of the water, as they deserve, but will have to arrest them and send them off to an international court, where, no doubt, they will plead "human rights"...
Two months ago the Parliament enthusiastically adopted a report which will require all ships in EU waters to carry an electronic tag to record their movements and cargos. This information, relayed by the Galileo satellite, will be electronically stored in an EU data centre. ...The important words there are "all ships in EU waters". The astute reader will notice that pirate blackspots like the Somali coast and the Malacca Straits aren't in EU waters.
Just one corrupt operator and the pirates will have all they need to sort out the richest pickings, instead of relying on chance.
There are hundreds of descriptions by credible witnesses from Moses to John of glowing flying objects, mechanical devices, a huge fleet of invading super vehicles, hyper-advanced weapons, and unearthly technologyFor example, clouds:
Perhaps the most important reference to clouds is that Jesus will return with an army in the clouds. If these clouds are not the fluffy kind, but very sophisticated flying craft, as the Bible records, then this would seem to have relevance to properly identifying that army. When Bible text says that Yhovah rides a swift cloud, are we to believe that he is literally sitting atop a cloud speeding through the sky?You've got to admire that. The Bible isn't saying that God physically rides around on actual clouds, because that would be silly... but it's somehow quite sensible for it to be an accurate depiction of vehicles driven by some kind of super-advanced alien race. Some might think a more likely explanation is being overlooked.