Pedestrians' Insouciance Deadly

Over the years I have observed the fact that pedestrians in Calgary always think they have the right-of-way when it comes to crossing the street. This letter to the Calgary Herald Editor sums up my opinion almost perfectly.

Recycling First World Feel Good

They have recently instituted a mandatory recycling program for everyone in Calgary, but how much of what we put in the "blue bin" actually gets recycled? Is it more of a way the government can give everyone a small dose of satisfaction everyday like we are all doing our part for a better world? Recycling is based largely on markets for these materials. And all markets as always fluctuate. Most recyclable items can't be stored, so if the market is at a low point, or if they are collecting more then they can sell it all goes to waste anyways. Some examples of this include any paper or cardboard products. These items can't be stored indoors in large quantities so not only are they subject to market fluctuations but also to inclement weather.  Even metal won't last long being stored outside in large piles. And with items like glass that may be able to withstand some weathering the supply still far outweighs the demand. Check out this mountain of glass in the picture. And this is truly only a fraction of what we are supposedly "recycling".

Bizarro: Good transition from Pigeon to Fast Food

This is a great play on peoples habits and some normal advice.

Bizarro: Pigeons drumming up business for a human

Best Comics in the world, Bizarro.

Daniel Piraro is one of my all time favorite cartoonists. I don't mind buying a paper just to get his daily dose of humor in.  I've managed over time to save a few of my all time favorites and will be sharing them in the coming months. I have a few pigeon themed ones that are perfect examples of his ingenious sense of humor.

Goth Refused Hospital Treatment

A man named Stevahn Bullen was refused treatment when he went to the Rocky View Hospital in the first weeks of September.  This article was on the front page of the Calgary Herald. Mr Bullen was quoted as saying "The fact I was singled out because I was wearing something that was offensive to him and denied service - that kind of makes me lose hope in humanity a little bit."

F-Minus comic in today's paper

I laughed to myself when I saw this. Seems true of so many relationships these days.

Cancer and Pepsi linked??? Noooooo...

This is a gem. Cancer and Pepsi/Coca Cola are linked? Wow, what a surprise. And their solution? To reduce the level of the cancer causing chemical to meet the new requirements? It's still just as likely to give you cancer no matter what they try and do to it....

Acetaminophen raises Asthma risks!

I found this article in the Calgary Herald Nov 24th 2011. I cut it out right away because I knew articles such as this won't make it to press a second time, especially if Johnson&Johnson have their way.

An Ohio doctor is warning people of medical studies linking rising/worsening rates of asthma to acetaminophen use. Actually it's interesting because in the 1980s doctors were urging people to stop taking aspirin because of the risk of developing Reye syndrome, which can be life threatening. So since then most people started giving their children acetaminophen. Over the past 30 years researchers couldn't figure out why asthma rates were always rising at an alarming rate. A study published in a British medical journal Lancet found six to seven year olds were 1.6 times more likely to develop asthma if they took acetaminophen more then once per year but less than once per month. For those that took the medicine at least once a month, the risk was triple. Here is the original article in all it's glory;

H1N1 Fears Exaggerated

H1N1 fears are killing me! Every day the paper is flooded with stories and letters talking about the "Swine Flu", blowing it way out of proportion! Some things I've been hearing and thinking about are, there is only one pharmaceutical company that produces the vaccine, so someone somewhere is making off with a rather tidy sum from this "pandemic". All this worry about germs and sanitizing stations everywhere could backfire when down the road we don't have any natural immunity left to fight off even the common cold let alone a serious virus. And even if you get the vaccine there is no guarantee you won't get the H1N1 anyways. Oh, and some of the complications of getting the vaccine include autism and Alzheimer’s and paralysis and permanent nerve damage(http://ezinearticles.com/?Flu-Shot-Complications&id=276533). Seems like you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. In today's paper they wrote that if you are showing any symptoms of the flu you should stay home, or drive yourself to work. Just don't take public transit. And if you do, wear a surgical mask!! lol I was at a lab today for some tests and they had a new sanitizing station right at the entrance, with surgical masks/gloves at the ready... There were people in there walking around with surgical masks on!! And one person wrote into the letters to the editor section of the Calgary Herald that it is selfish to not get the vaccine, least you carry the virus and unknowingly infect others around you.

Lead a healthy life, eat, drink and exercise well. The less man made drugs, vaccines and radiation treatments one takes well probably make for a longer healthier life anyways.