Saturday, February 03, 2007
Fruitcake Lady Update
Sadly, I did not know this, the Fruitcake Lady died in November 2006... if you want to see stuff about her, let me know. Also, go here for further information.
Land of the Free?
If I were a woman and lived in Texas I would leave the State.
Despite all of the pronouncements of democracy and civil rights (from whichever side of the political fence), this is just wrong. The overall ethics relating to compulsory vaccinations are discussed here in an interesting article. My position on this relates to the whole lobbying for financial gain aspect NOT womens rights.
Why? For so many reasons it is almost impossible to list them all.
1. Mass medication.
2. Bypassing due process of consultation.
3. Decision making as a result of received payments (some might call this bribes).
4. Decision made upon personal belief rather than fact.
Add your own. It is not difficult.
Does anyone have clear figures relating to the risk factors and incidences of cervical cancer prior to this? I would love to know. Here is some information. Seems an awful lot of money to spend when the efficacy of a product is not necessarily proven.
There are some 4,000 deaths in America from cervical cancer (what is the Texas figure). This is obviously a bad number, but as a relative percentage of the total population this is minuscule. Do not get me wrong, I believe that positive awareness is a good thing. What I am raising here is the lack of choice in the decision making process and the fact that the lobbying by a major drug company is clearly profit based rather than care based? And I will not even enter into the abstinence / condom debate either.
What is particularly disturbing is a large corporate who will make huge profits ($360 for the three-shot regimen per person!) should their product get approval by legislation. From the article "Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12."
Imagine if it was McDonald's or Burger King who did this.
Both Merck (who have some interesting free online reference guides) and Perry should be ashamed of themselves. Wrong$$, wrong$$, wrong$$, wrong$$, wrong$$$$$$$$$$$.
Despite all of the pronouncements of democracy and civil rights (from whichever side of the political fence), this is just wrong. The overall ethics relating to compulsory vaccinations are discussed here in an interesting article. My position on this relates to the whole lobbying for financial gain aspect NOT womens rights.
Why? For so many reasons it is almost impossible to list them all.
1. Mass medication.
2. Bypassing due process of consultation.
3. Decision making as a result of received payments (some might call this bribes).
4. Decision made upon personal belief rather than fact.
Add your own. It is not difficult.
Does anyone have clear figures relating to the risk factors and incidences of cervical cancer prior to this? I would love to know. Here is some information. Seems an awful lot of money to spend when the efficacy of a product is not necessarily proven.
There are some 4,000 deaths in America from cervical cancer (what is the Texas figure). This is obviously a bad number, but as a relative percentage of the total population this is minuscule. Do not get me wrong, I believe that positive awareness is a good thing. What I am raising here is the lack of choice in the decision making process and the fact that the lobbying by a major drug company is clearly profit based rather than care based? And I will not even enter into the abstinence / condom debate either.
What is particularly disturbing is a large corporate who will make huge profits ($360 for the three-shot regimen per person!) should their product get approval by legislation. From the article "Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12."
Imagine if it was McDonald's or Burger King who did this.
Both Merck (who have some interesting free online reference guides) and Perry should be ashamed of themselves. Wrong$$, wrong$$, wrong$$, wrong$$, wrong$$$$$$$$$$$.
Friday, February 02, 2007
The Sky is Falling
I believe someone once said "We will not bow down to terrorism".
Important Note on this incident: The advertising signs had been up for THREE weeks before this ludicrous response...
Makes you wonder really the ability of people to properly protect their citizens. Now I am not making light of the incident, but someone please tell me where the organised plan to deal with a REAL incident was/is, instead of what appears to be a kneejerk reaction by a lot of headless chickens. The reactions are out of proportion to the perceived threat and the press have not even properly considered all aspects of this incident.
Should they not be asking 'what if there had been a real incident?' and 'why are the people we entrust with our safety acting in this way?' ?
The incident in question was certainly not a hoax, it was a VIRAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN. These things were located in really obvious places (unfortunately the website showing their location is down) and looked more like the advertising signs that they are. The campaign did not go wrong, the response to it certainly did. Gotta love America.
Important Note on this incident: The advertising signs had been up for THREE weeks before this ludicrous response...
Makes you wonder really the ability of people to properly protect their citizens. Now I am not making light of the incident, but someone please tell me where the organised plan to deal with a REAL incident was/is, instead of what appears to be a kneejerk reaction by a lot of headless chickens. The reactions are out of proportion to the perceived threat and the press have not even properly considered all aspects of this incident.
Should they not be asking 'what if there had been a real incident?' and 'why are the people we entrust with our safety acting in this way?' ?
The incident in question was certainly not a hoax, it was a VIRAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN. These things were located in really obvious places (unfortunately the website showing their location is down) and looked more like the advertising signs that they are. The campaign did not go wrong, the response to it certainly did. Gotta love America.
These are just some of the comments being published in the Boston press...
“The hoax on us: But we’re not laughing”— Boston Herald headline
“They can’t perpetrate a hoax like this on the public.”—Mayor Menino
“Scaring an entire region, tying up the T and major roadway, and forcing first responders to spend 12 hours chasing down trinkets instead of terrorists is marketing run amok.” –Rep. Ed Markey
“You’d have to go back to ‘War of the Worlds’ … We would all agree that this crossed a line.”—Jamie Tedford, Arnold Worldwide
“What our city experienced today is intolerable. The actions of this company for an apparent ‘marketing campaign’ not only inconvenienced our entire city but awoke painful memories of September 11th in so many hearts and minds. I look forward to the results of a full investigation.” --Boston City Council President Maureen Feeney
“OK, so when will the people of Boston see Ted Turner and his nitwit marketing gurus marched into federal court in handcuffs and leg irons? Because that’s exactly what should happen.”—Herald editorial
“It is outrageous, in a post 9/11 world, that a company would use this type of marketing scheme. I am prepared to take any and all legal action against Turner Broadcasting and its affiliates for any and all expenses incurred during the response to today’s incidents.”—Mayor Menino
“Perpetrators of terror hoaxes face prison sentences of up to five years if convicted. Police arrested an Arlington man last night in connection with the ad stunt, but potential criminal prosecution is only one consideration. The tricksters at Turner, a unit of Time Warner Inc., should pay the bill for the consequences of a lame marketing gimmick.”—Boston Globe - Adrian Walker
“Terrorism hoaxes are common ... Turner officials say their devices were never meant to be seen as threats. Yet they find themselves in bad company.” – Boston Globe editorial
“Let’s hope Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s planned lawsuit against Turner is successful to recoup the city’s damages, and his complaints to the FCC are heeded. Let’s hope that Berdovsky or whoever the little punks are that planted the 38 promotional cartoon ‘toys’ in Boston, Somerville and Cambridge will see the inside of a jail cell. ‘You cannot put a price on the harm that was done to individuals,’ Menino told me. He’s right. For all of us who lived through the horror of 9/11 and its terrible aftermath, that harm is immeasurable.”— Boston Herald
Meanwhile, in Wisconsin... a land mine...
This one makes more sense than neon pacmen (Hmmm! Interesting, what IS the plural of Pacman?) being mistaken for bombs...
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Boston - Update
Oh! Deary Me! WE made a mistake and do not want to look as though we were acting rashly and without sufficient organisation or planning or (at this point, please insert your entry for the most plausible (pitiful will do though) reasoning behind not acting like a sane member of the public)... has someone checked the police call logs? You bet ... any record of this? Who cares when haircuts of the 1970s are more important?
Getting back to reality and the REAL 70s... 1. 2. Jane Fonda shag. 3. Aagh - 1975 - Just to the right. Him! David. Scary! 4. Nostalgia IS what it used to be.
Getting back to reality and the REAL 70s... 1. 2. Jane Fonda shag. 3. Aagh - 1975 - Just to the right. Him! David. Scary! 4. Nostalgia IS what it used to be.
And I blamed the VB / Fosters...
Dimi/Edin... this is why Ozzies paint the town red (play with rays)?
Update...
I have just been phoned by my agent regarding my interview on Tuesday. I have an offer for a role in Europe. Makes my life simple and easy.
No Bold's Hard... so to speak
OK... now I will say RIGHT NOW. You want to go to this link? It is ENTIRELY up to you. Nothing to do with me whether you take my advice or not. I am not even going to mention the name of the person who sent me this.
On a totally unrelated matter, "Martyn. How are thing hanging?". Or not...
On a totally unrelated matter, "Martyn. How are thing hanging?". Or not...
Definitely NOT for vegetarians...
Everything to open up everything and bring out the inner Hannibal in you... here. Note that this is NOT an 'Urgh!' link. Mind you, if you REALLY want to know what a 'hog bung' is go here to the INSCA site. As I often say, there is a web site for virtually EVERYTHING. Including a 'word or two on whiskering'. My day is complete...
Strange things
Some people do some strange things... but as my wife does yoga I make no other comments.
Agree to the Terms of Use BEFORE you visit the site
I found a site today and noted their "Your use of this website indicates your acceptance of the Terms of Use." banner. I then went to their 'Terms of Use'... how odd. I am not even allowed to hyper-link to it (apparently) otherwise I agree to pay them damages of $100,000 + . Excellent business model and guaranteed to instill confidence in a product! Particularly, I appreciate their honesty by pointing out that there are no health benefit claims from using their product.
So... if you Google this freely available phrase "electrons naturally present in the earth" I am sure you will find a number of web sites utilising this or similar phrases.
This type of agreement is like the stupid 'By opening this package you agree to our terms of use (enclosed)' notices or those auto-opt-in web sites. How can you agree to something that you have not been able to see or read?
With that in mind... here is a solution. You can also send them your own discovered abusive/ridiculous agreements should you wish.
So... if you Google this freely available phrase "electrons naturally present in the earth" I am sure you will find a number of web sites utilising this or similar phrases.
This type of agreement is like the stupid 'By opening this package you agree to our terms of use (enclosed)' notices or those auto-opt-in web sites. How can you agree to something that you have not been able to see or read?
With that in mind... here is a solution. You can also send them your own discovered abusive/ridiculous agreements should you wish.
Boston 31-01-07
Boston 2007 - Here is the article. Here is the website of the guy who got arrested.
Here is what they looked like. More Teletubbies than terror? You be the judge.
My favourite (and appropriate) quote underlined on his site is from Tolstoy's "Confession": "But life had lost its charm for me so how was I to charm others?".
He certainly has. Why the Boston Globe seems to think that this there is some 'deeper' meaning behind this and other comments he makes on his site is beyond me. Ho hum...
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
VISTA
Anyone used VISTA yet? I would appreciate independent comments relating to this. Seen a few bits on Youtube but, Wtf, someone must be able to give me a reasoned review. Anyone in Myspace who could assist?
I saw a recent unbiased 'review' of the iPhone which even managed to bump Stacy Schiff & Paris Hilton off the top search lists for a long time. Most 'independent' reviews I have seen of Windows Vista have been slagging it off or saying Product X is superior.
Comments please...
I saw a recent unbiased 'review' of the iPhone which even managed to bump Stacy Schiff & Paris Hilton off the top search lists for a long time. Most 'independent' reviews I have seen of Windows Vista have been slagging it off or saying Product X is superior.
Comments please...
Why is the 'Discuss this topic' missing from Yahoo
Just as a thought, I noticed the 'Discuss this topic' is missing from Yahoo News pages. There is a weak explanation for this (particularly coming from an organisation of their size) which goes:
" To Yahoo! News readers: Just struck me as "odd". Surely they would have prepared something beforehand... no grand conspiracy theory here, just seems odd. Anyone know when the 'Discuss' option disappeared? When it is going to come back? After the Iraq war? Who knows...
Any suggestions gratefully received? Mind you, there were an awful lot of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals on there. Trolling left, right, and centre.... politically and mentally.
" To Yahoo! News readers:
Yahoo! News is working on new ways for readers to comment on the news and participate in a discussion around it. While we work on our new community features, the message boards that were linked from individual news articles have been taken offline.
As they were set up, the Yahoo! News message boards allowed a small number of vocal users to dominate the discussion. In addition, related discussions from similar news articles were not easily linked.
Over the next few months, we plan to offer new discussion forums based on topics in the news and incorporating the latest features to foster a better discussion for all of our readers.
Neil Budde
General Manager
Yahoo! News"
Any suggestions gratefully received? Mind you, there were an awful lot of knuckle-dragging Neanderthals on there. Trolling left, right, and centre.... politically and mentally.
IMPORTANT
If you value BBC media presentation on the Web
The BBC are holding an open consultation regarding how they're going to delivery on-demand content, they want answers to questions like: "How important is it that the proposed seven-day catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who are not using Microsoft software?
Closing date for receiving responses is 5pm, Wednesday 28 March 2007.
GO HERE to ensure that your access to news/media is not DRM'd to bits and there is no requirement to use a Microsoft product just to gain access to it!!!!
The BBC are holding an open consultation regarding how they're going to delivery on-demand content, they want answers to questions like: "How important is it that the proposed seven-day catch-up service over the internet is available to consumers who are not using Microsoft software?
Closing date for receiving responses is 5pm, Wednesday 28 March 2007.
GO HERE to ensure that your access to news/media is not DRM'd to bits and there is no requirement to use a Microsoft product just to gain access to it!!!!
Repeat after me...
"ARrrround the Rrrragged Rrrrock, the Rrrragged, Rrrrascal Rrrran."
Now that you have learned to roll your 'Rrrrrrs' head to here. There truly is a website somewhere for just about everything...
Now that you have learned to roll your 'Rrrrrrs' head to here. There truly is a website somewhere for just about everything...
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